Harry Potter and the Slytherin Heirs
by strawberrywhippedcreamfreak
Summary: Harry Potter has always dreamed of having a family...he just never imagined it would be with Tom Riddle. Slash m/m Mpreg TMR/HP
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Exhaustion seeped through his very bones, his every nerve ending frayed from his recent childbirth and yet he forced himself to stay vigilant. If for even a moment he closed his eyes, Harry was sure he would never see baby Orion again.

He cuddled his youngest son to his chest even closer, taking comfort from the tiny bit of warmth from the newborn. Orion wined. With his eyes still scrunched tight and tiny fists resting passively against Harrys chest, his tiny bow mouth suckled at empty air. Harry chuckled softly and moved up his chest so that those pink lips could latch onto a sensitive nipple. He winced only slightly when Orion began sucking. The daily potions regimen that allowed him to produce natural milk also engorged his nipples and made them extra sensitive, though thankfully they didn't enlarged his pecs to look like actual female breasts. Thank god for small favors.

Harry ran a finger down Orion's downy cheeky. The movement dislodged his sons lip. He smiled wide when those eyes popped open and reproachfully glared at him before going back to suckling again, hopefully uninterrupted this time. But Orion did grasp Harrys finger and held it captive, almost Ina preventative measure so that he may suckle and drink in peace.

From the small glimpse, Harry saw his youngest had his own green eyes ringed with his fathers red. Even his features reminded Harry of the father. Only one of his children took after Harrys looks, while the rest of his eight children mostly took after Tom.

Speaking of, Harry wondered when he was going to see the dark wizard again. It had to be soon. After the little magical outburst that had leveled an entire manor, Harry was sure Tom would come to him again to finish what he started. Through the pregnancy had been relatively uneventful, the last of the birth had proved to be life threatening. Harry had been sure he was about to die. And having faced death numerous times before, he was quite familiar with the feeling. He, who was merely a vessel for Tom's horcrux had been about to take part of Tom's soul to the afterlife with him. It shouldn't have surprised him then when Tom burst into the Malfoy birthing room with the intent to kill Orion and save Harry.

Not only had Harry faced medical complications with a premature and breech childbirth, but his dying baby had been siphoning energy out of him until he was on the verge of death. As soon as Voldemort had heard, he'd burst into the room, sending all of Harrys attendants flying through the room as he'd attacked Orion with the int ion of killing off the baby before Harry himself could die. It had only been Harrys Magic in combination to the horcrux inside him that had lashed back and created a protective shield around himself and Orion. Toms attack had bounded off the shield and destroyed that entire section of the manor.

Before, Orion had threatened the life of Tom's horcrux. Now though, after Harry was still alive and the horcrux inside was stable again, things should have been okay again. But Orion was a squib. Harry's Magic had tried to reach out and bond to his baby after birth, like he had done with all his children, but he'd been meet with a hard block of suppressed magic. Perhaps, later on Orion might free his trapped magic but he was already a fragile baby after the difficult birth.

Harry made a note to send an apology to Draco and force the man to take funds to fix up the section his master had destroyed. He'd been visiting with one of the few friends that dared a relationship with him and that had been approved by Tom himself when he'd started bleeding from between his legs. Draco, now Tom's undersecretary, had been one of the ones in attendance in the birth room and thankfully, he'd been coherent enough after tom came in to throw a protective shield around the rest of Harrys attendants. The mediwizards and midwives had only sustained minor injuries. It would have been a shame to loose them seeing as how they were the worlds premiere mediwizards, not to mention the very personal attendants to the Riddle family. Many of them had been with Harry since his first child and the newer ones had been trained personally by Severus Snape.

"You should be resting, you are exhausted."

Harry started and jerked up. The sudden movement pulled at his fresh stitches and he cried out. But his pain took a back seat when Orion began crying, his fisted hands and feet waiving in agitation. Shushing Orion, Harry took up his baby and rocked him in his arms.

"No, no Orion, everything's okay. I've got you, going to kiss all your tears away." Harry cooed at his sons tear stained face. Red and blotch, face scrunched up with ugly wrinkles Harry had never seen a sweeter sight because it was his baby. He showered kisses on Orion's face until he had the baby docile again and reaching for his nipples. Notching Orion in the crook of his arm, he fed his nipple to Orion again before facing Tom.

Harry hadn't noticed that Tom walked closer, the man going for his wand as soon as he'd heard Harry cry out in pain. But he'd stopped when Harry had grabbed up Orion and watched his slave turned unofficial consort interacting with his youngest son.

"I'm, I'm okay. Your horcrux is stabilized. And Orion needs to feed so …," Harry murmured, keeping his eyes on his son.

Tom growled in annoyance. "You've been awake for three days straight. Your body needs to sleep."

"A few more hours won't hurt. Lack of sleep won't kill me."

"Harry-"

"Tom, please, Orion, Orion needs me right now. He's weak from the-" Harry stopped and took a deep breath. He wasn't ready to talk about the few terrible seconds when he'd seen the killing curse coming for his son, how his own heartbeat had stopped. The sense of de ja vu, his own mother standing before him to take the killing curse from tom and now he himself had faced down the curse to save his own son. How tragically ironic. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Harry blinked back tears and repeated, "I need to feed Orion."

Tom's eyes flashed red from underneath his glamour. "I'll give you ten more minutes before I have Snape come in here and force a dreamless drought down your throat. Am I understood?" His eyes didn't miss the way Harry clutched Orion closer to him and nodded. All the anger deflated out of the tall man as he walked closer to bed until he stood looming over his son and slave. He reached out a hand towards Orion, ignoring Harry's flinch.

"I'm not going to kill it, Harry. You're safe now so I have no reason to," he said unabashedly. Tom traced the same path Harry's finger had not a few minutes ago down Orion's cheek. The warm cheek moved up and down rhythmically as Orion swallowed down Harry's sweet milk. His cheeks bulged out from the liquid.

Harry stiffened at his words. "Orion is a squib," he stated quietly. Tom could best be described as a distant parent, Harry having overtaken more of his children's upbringing up until they graduated from Hogwarts. Tom mainly kept reports on his offsprings and only took interest in them academically and after they graduated Hogwarts to groom them into the ministry. But he was very proud of his children's outstanding magical abilities that far surpassed all other students and even most wizards. So to have a squib come from the most feared dark lord of all time, even more than Morgana le Fey, was an affront Harry was sure the dark lord would not suffer. Not even mention the political impact of The United Kingdoms Prime Minister having a squib child. Harry could already see the vicious headlines in the Daily Prophet.

Tom nodded emphatically. "Yes he is." He removed his hands and saw Harry visibly relax.

Harry so desperately want to ask what tom intended to do about Orion but he feared he was too weak to stave off another attack. He was back in Riddle manor under heavy Death Eater surveillance. He didn't have a home field advantage and he didn't have any allies. And perhaps talking about it would urge Tom into action. So he diverted to something else he'd been worried about.

"How are the other kids doing? The twins haven't been giving Daphne a hard time have they? And did she get Cerise to eat eat? And, and did Theo write to the kids at Hogwarts about Orion? And when will Hadrian and Salazar come visit? Can they come or are they too busy at the ministry?" Harry knew he was rambling but he couldn't help it. Between worrying for Orion's life and staving off Tom's attacks, he'd completely forgotten all about his other children. He felt so guilty. The twins and Cerise were very young and they'd been in Malfoy mansion when Harry had collapsed in front of them. He'd made them worry and he'd heard from Draco when he woke up later in the middle of contractions that Cerise had gone on a hunger strike. He felt like a terrible parent.

"Harry."

The green eyed wizard finally looked up to Tom with teary eyes. One fat drop spilled from his lower lash line. Tom cupped Harry's face with both hands and thumbed away the tear, even as more flowed over his fingers.

"The twins are entertaining Cerise. They've destroyed the kitchen but managed to get Cerise to eat." Harry let out a watery chuckle. By Toms words, he knew that the kitchen would be unsalvageable. "I took James, Lily, and Alfred out their classes and they're here in the manor waiting to see you. Salazar is stepping in for me but he can always floo here. Hadrian has taken up a permanent residence outside your rooms. I had to knock him out to get back in here."

"Tom, you promised to stop spelling our children." Harry said in amused exasperation despite himself. He leaned into Tom, rubbing his cheek against the cold hands like a kitten. He'd hate himself for it later but he was already half asleep, his speech slurred. He blinked to stay awake but he was already slipping. That's when he realized that Tom was using wand less magic to put him under.

Tom snorted. "Hadrian was being unbearable. And I had to see you."

Harry began to struggle halfhearted against Tom. "Please, Tom, no, you promised me ten minutes. Orion…..Orion…." Darkness edged his vision and until he slumped back into the mattress.

"I promise he'll be in your arms when you wake up." It was the last thing Harry heard before everything became silent. Of course Tom knew what was worrying Harry without him having to tell the older wizard.

When he woke up next, he felt incredibly energized and without any of the fogginess that usually came from the deep sleep he'd had. And as promised, Orion was laying peaceful – and unharmed- by his side. Harry ran a hand over his sons body from head to toe. With intense concentration, he ran a wand less diagnosis spell Snape had taught him and saw that Orion had been fed just two hours ago.

"Mother, you are awake," Hadrian, his second eldest son said from the doorway. Harry looked up and his heart broke when he saw the deep, purple craters underneath his sons red eyes. His handsome face looked haggard, his cheeks shrunken in and his robes hanging just a little loose over his brawny frame.

"Oh, Hadrian, come here, my boy. You haven't been eating have you?" Dobby?" The household elf popped up at Harrys command. The frenetic elf immediately began sobbing and asking about Harrys health. "Dobby, Dobby, please get Hadrian some food please and go check on the twins." Immediately Dobby popped out. A second later a platter of food appeared floating besides Harry.

With a wry smile, Hadrian grabbed the platter and set it on the bedside table. Kneeling besides his mother's bed, he took one of Harry's wan hand. "Mother, please, I'm more worried about you. I was still tied up at the ministry when you went into labor or else I would have been here when-when" Hadrian's face crumbled and Harry lurched up and hugged his son. Harry was considerably smaller then his son, all three of his eldest sons were bigger then him. But Hadrian melted against his mother and took comfort from him. He shoved his face into Harrys neck, crying openly. He wasn't ashamed. The sweet boy, despite being one of Tom's son was very sensitive.

"Oh, Hadrian, no, I'm glad you weren't here. You could have gotten hurt in the backlash." But Hadrian refused to be consoled, still murmuring that he could have protected Harry better and that it was his fault. Harry let his son cry it out. He ran his hands through Hadrian's wild black locks, so much like his own. His fingers caught one more than a few knots and he tried to comb them out as best as he could.

When Hadrian finally calmed himself, Harry pulled his sons head back and scrutinized his face for any damage. Tom had after all said he'd had to knock Hadrian out but Harry didn't know by what methods. Growing up, Tom had been a harsh father who hadn't been afraid to met out punishment when needed. Harry had been the mediator who tried to mitigate those punishments and after, soothe his children's pain.

"Did your father hurt you? He told me he had to knock you out." Harry asked concerned.

Hadrian snorted and rolled his eyes. "In fairness, I shot a Crucio at him."

"Hadrian!" Harry gasped, aghast. He didn't like how the majority or his children were so familiar and nonplused by dark spells and violence. Though, it was inevitable with a father like Tom. Nevertheless he was still their mother and he'd have some positive influence on them, dammit! He pinched his sons ears in punishment.

"Ow, mother!" Hadrian shook off Harrys cruel fingers with a reproachful glare, rubbing the offended appendage. "That hurt."

"Yes, well, have I not taught you to not use the unforgivables against your father?"

"You never explicitly said 'Hadrian, never Crucio your father'. Plus he attacked you! Be glad I haven't told James yet or he'd be sending an AK at father."

Harry bit his lip nervously. Hadrian did not say those words in jest. James, his third eldest had a very tumultuous relationship with his father. "Who else knows what your father tried to do to me?"

"Well your attendants and uncle Draco and aunt Astoria of course. Theo had to be told as well. And aside from me, Salazar."

"Alright, let's keep it that way. I don't want your other siblings to know, especially James. Okay Hadrian?" Harry leveled a hard stare at his defiant son. He might be more of the lenient parent but when he turned that steely gaze on one of this children, they never lasted long. It was the same case for Hadrian, who immediately deflated and nodded. "Good, you're a wonderful son." Harry smiled softly and leant up to kiss Hadrian's forehead.

"Thanks. I always knew I was your favorite." He said cheekily before a sober expression overcame his face. "I disagree with what father tried to do but I-I don't know how we would have survived without you. If I had been in his position, I don't know if I would have acted different from him."

While it hurt Harry to hear that, he understood. But as a mother, he could never see putting his life above that of any of his children. He saw the waring emotions of guilt and worry in his sons eyes. Harry felt at a loss; knew no words from him could assuage the young wizard.

"Do you want to meet Orion?" Harry instead turned a bit and lifted Orion. The newborn yawned awake before settling comfortable against his mothers arms and looking around curiously. He couldn't see far but he was curious. And wizard babies were more aware than normal muggle babies after birth.

Hadrian bit back all his doubts and feelings to please his mother. "What a cute little bugger. And his names Orion?" He carefully slid his muscular arms under Harrys and lifted the baby from his mother.

Harry nodded. "I made a list and Draco liked Orion best. You know how he's named after a constellation so he thought it would be nice if one of my children was named after one too. He told me a lot of pureblood children are named after constellations. Plus, there was a Orion in the Black family somewhere."

Hadrian raised a brow as the mention of Draco. His father and Draco were very close friends, even more so than Harry and Theo who was Tom's personal assistant and and one of his trusted Death Eaters. Even so, Tom would not be pleased to know that Draco had had a significant hand in naming his son, even if he had tried to kill Orion.

"Best not to tell father that."

Harry hummed in agreement. Tom had never been interested in naming his children after the eldest Salazar was born. But he could still see how the insanely possessive wizard would have a problem with another man naming his child. Although technically, Harry had come up with a list and Draco had just shared his opinion of which one he liked best. But he knew Tom would never see it that way.

He fingered the ever present slave collar wrapped tight around his neck. He'd had it ever since he was fourteen, just on the cusp of being fifteen. Tom had wrapped the collar around his bruised neck a few nights after capturing him in the graveyard. Over the years it had been transfigured from the heavy plain grey metal to something that looked more like a necklace. The shape and color and stones changed on Tom's whim but nevertheless it was still a slaves color no matter the pretty packaging. Lately, it had been transfigured it into the shape of an oroborus. Only the design of the scales and markings on the snakes body changed when Tom felt like it.

"Is the collar hurting you, is it too tight?" Hadrian frowned at the jewelry. He growled when the metal slid around Harrys neck and hissed at him in parseltongue. He hissed back at the slave collar but the sentient snake wrapped itself back around Harrys neck.

"No, it's fine. I was thinking about your father."

"You should probably talk to him before the twins force him to AK himself." Hadrian said offhandedly as he tickled under his baby brother chin, making the newborn laugh.

Harry looked bemused. "Tom is still here? I thought he'd be at the ministry already."

"Don't count on it. Plus I don't think Salazar will be giving up his position soon, it's gone to his bloody head." Hadrian joked with an eye roll. Harry smiled wanly in return. Salazar was a bit to serious in Harrys opinion. And he could only imagine what terror Salazar was wrecking on the ministry workers. Salazar was unforgiving of any mistakes and a harsh taskmaster, much like his father.

A loud knock came at the door; Hadrian and Harry looked over to see the rest of his brood spilling into the room.

"Mommy!" Twin yells preceded Regulus and Romulus as they vaulted onto the bed.

"Hey, be careful, he just gave birth," Hadrian tried to police them but nothing scared the twins, except for Harry. Not even Tom could manage to control the silly twins.

"My babies!" Harry cooed at the nine eye at olds, taking both into his arms and snuggling into them. Cerise, his second youngest now, climbed onto the bed more gracefully than the twins. But being the spoiled girl she was, she shoved at her older brothers to make space for herself. Harry laughed and kissed her a dozen times as the twins fought for space on the bed. Alfred, the budding teen stood uncertainly by the bed until Harry reach out an arm and hugged him one handedly. Alfred, arguably the closest to his mother clamured onto the bed as Harry made space for him. They could almost pass as twins, they looked so much alike. With cerise on his lap, Alfred plastered to his left and the twins vying for a space on his left, Harry for the first time in a while felt happy. His older children, James and lily stood back to allow the younger kids to see their mother.

Lily instead went over to join her older brother and coo at the baby. James held back a little, looking like the outsider in the family. He and Harry hadn't had the best of relationships, but then he didn't exactly get along with Tom either. Harry noticed his third eldest son hanging back a bit and beckoned to him with one arm. James came grudgingly but offered a small smile when Harry leaned up and kissed his cheek. Just before Harry had given birth, he and james had had a row about James' many indiscretions at Hogwarts. The latest problem had arisen when Harry had gotten a complaint about a pregnancy scare and he'd in turn sent a rousing howler for James. His son had been utterly humiliated and started a row with Harry. Of course Tom had intervened when James had begun shouting at Harry and forbidden James from quiditch. Now Harry just wanted to forget it all and have everything be okay between him and his son.

"Are you okay mom?" James questioned, avoiding his parent's searching gaze. Harry used his forefinger to tip James face up and smiled reassuringly at him.

"I am now that you brood are here." James smiled back and returned a kiss to Harrys cheek. "Go meet your youngest brother." Harry nodded to Orion.

Lily took Orion from Hadrian and brought him him over to the bed to let the other kids have a look. "Mom, this one might be the cutest one yet! He's so squishable!" Lily held up her brother up and nibbled on his cheeks. Orion shrieked at the tickling.

"No, we're" Reggie began.

"The cutest." Rom finished.

They both tugged on Harrys arm for affirmation. Harry had to tickle them to make them stop. "You're the cutest twins in the entire world!"

Cerise, not one to be left out huffed and grabbed her mamas cheek. "But, mama, what about me?"

"Aw, you're the cutest baby girl in the whole wide world!" Harry exclaimed and hugged her. Appeased, she stuck her tongue out at the twins.

Lily brought a calculating finger to her red painted lips. "So if Reggie and Rom are the cutest twins, and Cerise is the cutest baby girl, I take it I'm the cutest oldest girl, Salazar is the cutest oldest son? What about Hadrian, James and Alfred?" She teased her mother.

Harry glared at her playfully but Hadrian answered up. "I'm the handsomest brother. And I am so telling Salazar that you called him cute."

Lily glared at her elder brother. "You tell Salazar that and I'll put the nightmare curse on you."

"Mother, did you hear that? She threatened me!" Hadrian exclaimed dramatically.

Harry rolled his eyes at his children's antics. "And you deserved it." He teased back. Hadrian staggered and slapped a hand over his heart, sniffing for extra effect. "But I'll protect my baby." Hadrian beamed and Lily huffed. Hadrian was such a mamas boy.

Harry leaned back and just listened to his children bicker back and forth as they passed Orion around between them. Alfred hadn't said anything and Harry knew the boy would talk to him once they were alone. So he wrapped an arm around his sensitive boy and tucked him under his cheek. Alfred curled himself around his mother like he was a boy again. He stayed quiet and still as Harry tried to control the twins and cerise, tried being the operative word.

Harry was throughly distracted but not enough to not notice the lingering shadow at his bedroom door. He looked up to see a flash of red eyes. Harry opened his mouth to call Tom into the bedroom and join his family but something stopped him. He still felt uncomfortable with Tom being near Orion. And though he hadn't hurt Orion in the few hours he'd been asleep, Harry still wasn't over the trauma Tom had put him and his son through. So he quickly looked away and let himself be pulled into a story the twins were telling with many interjections from Cerise.

Tom eyes narrowed in anger, but he dared not cross over the threshold into a place he had not been invited to. The room was alight with Harry's laughter, his children shouting back and forth and the beacon in the middle was the newborn. The large family was bound together by Harry's indomitable love for them, something not even Tom had been able to torture out of Harry. His eyes shone with so much happiness as Harry forced himself to ignore the looming threat just a few feet away from his family. And Tom did not belong in that circle of love and warmth. So he stayed in the shadows and watched with envy, wanting something he could never bring himself to ask for. Something he did not deserve.


	2. Chapter 2

They'd never had the conversation Harry dreaded where he wanted to confront Tom over Orion. Tom hadn't said another word over Orion being a squib, treating him as any of his other children. Admittedly, the dark wizard had grown to tolerate the muggles over time under Harrys influence. Squibs were a step above muggles but still, a parent had to be weary of a man who had once planned to systemically wipe out all muggles. Harry had been mistaken of Tom's intentions though by a devious Dumbledore. Tom had wanted to expel them from the wizarding community as he feared they had overshadowed many of the wizarding customs with their own muggle customs. Over the years, after Harry convinced Tom to bring together his horcruxes closer to him to restore his sanity. He'd gone low and dirty and used their children against Tom when the original fragmented Tom proved to be too unstable and unsafe for Salazar, Hadrian and a then baby James. Tom had united all his horcruxes, keeping only his snake and Harry as his last living horcruxes. Since the others had been inanimate horcruxes, they were easier to absorb back into his soul. But Nagini and Harry were live beings and the horcruxes weren't easily separated from their hosts.

Under Severus's strictly outlined plan (in Tom's behest) and carried out by Harry's personal doctors, he made a quick recovery. Potions and a daily exercise regimen, all approved by Tom of course, quickly gave Harry his pre-pregnancy body, much to Tom's delight. And other than being a squib, his son was perfectly healthy. Even with only Cerise and the twins to take care of now that his teen children had gone back to Hogwarts and Hadrian had gone back to the ministry to help his brother and father, Harry still had a handful with his newborn. Of course like with his previous children, Tom was no help. The man had an army of the best trained house elves all under the tutelage of Kreature to care for Harry and the baby. But Harry insisted on doing everything by hand, wanting that closeness that only touch and manual labor gave with his son. Which meant diaper changes by hand, midnight feedings, cleaning spittle and vomit out of his hair. By the end of the month Harry looked tired and haggard but he was happy. Because all those sleepless nights and exhausting mornings and smelly diapers meant that his son was alive and not dead by his father's hand.

Even though Tom usually left Harry alone for the required eight weeks to fully recover from childbirth after every one, this time he stayed close to Harry. Though he didn't go near the baby when it was cleanup time or time to feed him, he stood nearby and just watched Harry and Orion. It unnerved the green eyed wizard but he didn't say anything to Tom.

Hadrian, who was training to be a diplomat under his father's rule usually traveled a lot for his duties and it suited the wild boy. But because of Tom's sudden vacancy from the ministry, Salazar and Hadrian both had to pick up the slack. Tom didn't completely neglect his duties. He went in in the mornings but came back before lunchtime just in time to catch Harry cooking a light meal for himself, the twins, and Cerise. Tom would then follow Harry to the twins and Cerise's primary school to deliver the lunch. Then Harry took a walk around their palace grounds with two trusted death eaters trailing after him. Tom took that time to respond to correspondences, look over both the Ministry and private accounts, and fire call with his delegates. Then he'd pick up the twins and Cerise and bring them home for Harry's home cooked dinner.

It was a nice and new routine that Harry said nothing against. The kids were definitely more happy to have their father around. Cerise was a little terror, always demanding her father's attention like the spoiled princess she was. Tom had felt a bit awkward at first when the girl came into his office in the middle of a very important fire call with the Minister of Magic in Canada. She'd sat through it quietly then demanded he teach her some spells from a siddhi book. He had no idea how she'd even gotten the ancient book but he'd spent the better part of the evening just doing that.

The twins on the other hand absolutely drove him crazy. The first time he'd stayed home with them all day on a Saturday, he'd shot a body binding spell on them in the first hour. Of course Harry had been mad and demanded his wand for the day so he wouldn't be tempted to imperio the boys into good behavior. Tom had thought it a bit drastic but he'd agreed seeing as how he he'd already cleared that day, could summon his wand at a seconds notice, and that he trusted Harry implicitly with his wand. And Harry had been correct. More than once when he'd been dripping from a foul green sludge the twins created with Severus's potions kit and when he'd had an arrow sticking out of his left butt cheek from the twin's disastrous (and last if Tom had anything to say about it) foray into archery, Tom found himself reaching for a wand that was not there.

Harry had been of no help that day, of course. With the excuse of Orion giggling on his hip, Harry had muffled his own laughter and breezed past Tom with a muttered cleaning spell until the next disaster with the twins.

On the outside, Tom grumbled and growled and threatened both Harry and the twin devils the boy had bore him. But inside he was secretly pleased to see the unguarded smiled and hear Harry's tinkling laughter come unbidden from the boys chest. He didn't often see those smiles anymore and if the twins could bring them out, he vowed he'd suffer.

It was as close to paradise as a man like him could hope for. But there was one black spot. Right after dinner, like clock work Orion demanded his dinner. And unlike the other times where Harry just fed Orion in whatever room he was in, Harry would take Orion to the deepest dungeons in the palace where it was hidden.

So many things had changed from the moment Tom first saw Harry in the graveyard to the present. For one thing, they had nine children running about. For another, He was almost wholly a man with only two fractions of his soul separate from him. But he didn't often feel their loss as he always kept Harry and Nagini close to him. But the most important was that Harry had changed from from his slave to his …. most prized possession. Tom offered Harry freedoms and privileges no other had dared to fathom from the dark lord. So he didn't understand why Harry went back to the place where he'd been tortured daily for the first two years of his captivity.

The boy had been raped there in the dungeons, jeered at by his Death Eaters, tortured and broken again and again until Tom systematically put back the pieces only to shattered him into even smaller pieces. Th cycle continued until Harry became his willing slave, accepting all punishments with the meekness Tom expected.

One of his more genius tortures had been the object Harry now visited daily. The Mirror of Erised. After vanquishing Dumbledore, and taking Hogwarts, Tom found the interesting mirror and moved it to his palace. By night Harry writhed under him, slippery with blood and sweat and semen and by day he sat lashed in front of the mirror. Just beyond the cool touch of glass, Harry's deepest desires played out in the mirror. It taunted the boy even as the night loomed to break him again. Tom remembered how the boy screamed himself hoarse in the first few months with the mirror, much louder than from any of the tortures Tom could subject him too. He'd been a little miffed another object could hurt Harry more than he could by his own hands and magic. But it yielded the same results. It didn't take long until the boy pleaded with Tom that he would do anything else, everything else just to avoid the mirror.

But now Harry returned to the mirror and stayed in the very same room where he'd been raped multiple times, bleed until the flagstones were stained with his life force. The boy stayed there for hours until Orion fell asleep against Harry's chest and the house elves forced Harry to bed. Harry never closed the doors, a reaction from when Tom had locked Harry in a small dungeon for days. So Tom lurked from the perimeter, careful to avoid seeing himself in the mirror.

The dark lord was not afraid of anything, not even death anymore. He had his horcruxes and he had all the things to make himself the master of death with the deathly hollows. He was the true master of the elder wand, he wore the Gaunt ring on his pinky, and he'd taken the invisibility cloak from Harry. He was assuredly the most powerful man in England and very probably in the entire world. And yet he was very much afraid to see what the mirror would show him.

He should be happy. He had power, he'd mastered death, he had heirs, he'd mastered the boy who lived. And yet he knew the mirror could show him more. And Tom didn't know if he was capable to achieve what that more was. So he watched Harry stare avidly into the mirror, his green eyes quickly filling with liquid and spilling in small diamonds over his cheeks. And he didn't dare go pull the boy away on the smallest fear he might catch a glimpse of his hearts desire in the mirror.

But tonight, he forced himself to forget all about that. Harry's primary mediwizards had come and given Harry and Orion their final checkup. Even Severus had taken the time out of his busy schedule as the Hogwart's headmaster to check up on Harry. They had declared Harry fit for all actives, much to the boys embarrassment. Tom on the other hand had smirked at the blush staining the boys cheeks. Severus had prescribed a few potions to help with Harrys few remaining stretch marks and passed Tom a vial of muscle relaxants for Harry. Sitting at dinner now with the vial burning a hole in his pocket, Tom couldn't wait until dinner was over and the children put to bed to finally be be able to touch his Harry again.

In between bites of food and nodding intermittently to Cerise's babbling about dragon scales, Tom surreptitiously gazed at Harry. The boy looked particularly ravishing tonight, but then Tom thought the same when Harry was sweaty with grime or adorned with jewels. The crystal chandeliers above the large family dinning room cast soft golden light over Harry's soft features. Disregarding the shadows under Harry's eyes and the slight hollows underneath his cheekbones, his skin looked like velvet. From memory, Tom knew he tasted just as decadent. Harry's eyes often flitted up to meet his but skittered away, as if he could see the dirty images playing through Tom's head. The green eyed wizard busied himself with Orion and policing his younger children. Tom smirked.

Both Salazar and Hadrian were there for dinner that night, so Harry was more open and free with his smiles. He didn't often get to see his older children and he did miss them so. He pestered them for every minute detail, asking Salazar how he was settling with his new responsibilities while Hadrian butted in to regain Harry of his adventures. Harry smiled at one particular story, his eyes meeting Tom's accidentally for just a second before he looked away. Tom could almost pretend that smile was meant for him. .

The twins were practicing a new spell to make food dance off of Salazar's plate. Harry had a hard enough time trying to get Rom and Reggie to actually eat their dinner instead making the peas and chicken put on a show for them. Orion just clapped and opened his mouth to catch one of the peas which Harry quickly slapped away.

"Regulus. Romulus." Harry glared at the twins, his green eyes narrowed and unblinking until the rambunctious nine year olds deflated in their seats and mumbled an insincere apology. Both Salazar and Tom looked at Harry disgruntled. They'd both tried that method but the twins just laughed in glee in their faces. What did Harry have that they didn't that managed to inspire terror in the ungodly Devils?

"Mother, you must teach me how to do that," Salazar demanded. With a flick of his wand, he spelled his food back on his plate and continued eating.

Even with house elves at their beck and call, they all much preferred Harry's cooking. That's why both Hadrian and Salazar, who had separate flats in London always made it a point to floo home as often as they could at dinner for Harry's cooking. Hadrian, now that he was staying in once place always came home to dinner before leaving to his own flat.

Harry pointed his wand at Salazar's hair, where a stray pea was still bouncing up and down in the black locks, and vanished it to the trash. "My skills cannot be taught, love. Have a few kids of your own and you'll be able to do the same thing." Harry spared the twins another glance to make sure they were actually eating and not shoving their greens under the table into Nagini's unwilling mouth. The children were all parseltongues by virtue of the Slytherin blood but the twins possessed the unique ability of also being snake charmers. At least that's what Harry called it. But he and Tom had been baffled, although Tom had been more pleased than anything else when the twins as mere babies would not only play with snakes but had them doing their bidding. So the twins had no qualms about using their particular skill and charms to force their carnivorous pet to eat "yucky" greens.

Over the years Tom had allowed Harry to grow closer to Nagini, seeing as both were mostly confined to the palace. He hadn't expected Harry, a former Gryffindor to get along so well with the snake. Harry was very protective of her and often had to save her from his children's shenanigans, mainly the twins.

Hadrian snorted in amusement. "But father can't even do that."

If anyone other than his offspring had received that glare from Tom, they'd be wishing for death but not Hadrian. He grinned toothily at his glaring father before shoveling more food into his mouth.

Harry smiled softly, glancing at Tom quickly. "Perhaps he needs to practice more patience." He smoothed a hand over Rom's and Reggie's hair in reward of their continued good behavior. It would not last long.

"Mommy, we're patient," Reggie started.

"All the time, so-" Rom spoke, a mixture of peas, gravy and chicken spittle flying from his open mouth. Harry quickly spelled it away before it could spray on the food. Tom was impressed by Harrys quick reflexes. Not even Salazar, who was the most particular of his children, noticed and continued eating blessedly ignorant of Rom's poor table manners.

"Rom, chew, shallow then speak." Harry gave him that look and the toddler meekly nodded.

Reggie continued as if Harry hadn't interrupted Rom at all. "Does that mean we can shut Cerise up?"

Cerise, who'd been monopolizing Tom's ear chattering away about the hibernating habits of dragons glared at the twins. Before either Tom or Harry could stop her, she flicked out her practice wand and sealed both of the twin's lips. Rom had a spoon stuck in between his mouth that he frantically tugged at to no avail. Both twins immediately started wailing, the sounds muffled behind their lips.

With a sigh, Harry accioed Cerise's wand to himself and quickly unzipped the twin's mouths. "Cerise, that was very dangerous. Rom could have choked and Reggie might have passed out. No deserts and you are banned from the library and playroom for a week. You will be playing in the potions lab with the twins and learning how to use your words instead of your wand, am I understood?" Harry looked at his daughter growing look of horror, his own face unflinching.

Taking away books from the precocious girl was akin to torture. And on top of that, being forced to spend time with the twins and their potions making was almost unbearable, and Tom would know. He'd had first hand experience. He thought the punishment was a bit harsh but he expected Harry to know what the children needed better than him. When Cerise saw that Harry would not be deterred from the punishment, she turned watery eyes to Tom.

He faltered, looking from those wide eyes to Harrys before clearing his throat uncomfortably. It was times like these when he wished he could instead be dealing with a bunch of death eaters. They were so much easier to deal with. A few crucios and all was well. "Um, I agree with your mother," he said weakly before copying Hadrian and shoveling food in his mouth gracelessly, a very un dark lord like thing to do.

Hadrian and Harry shared a look of amusement as Cerise continued to pout throughout the dinner. After dinner, Salazar immediately excused himself back to the ministry office amid Harrys protests. They were negotiating an alliance with China which was proving to be very difficult but Tom wanted access to their ancient magic and potions. Hadrian soon followed with Harry shoving at least two days worth of food into his arms and sent him off with a kiss. Salazar rarely tolerated such displays of affections from Harry anymore, saying it was undignified but Hadrian was more than happy to indulge his parent. Orion was blessedly napping but the baby would wake for his after dinner meal so Harry had only a few minutes to get Cerise and the twins started on their homework.

"I'll take him," Tom said quietly, already teaching for Orion. He pushed down the twinge of annoyance when Harry flinched and even took a tiny step back. Perhaps he didn't have the best history of interactions with Orion. There was the attempted infanticide but Tom had his reasons. He wasn't a sentimental fool like Harry.

With Orion's insignificant weight nestled in his arms, Tom nodded meaningfully at their children. It was almost a challenge. He'd noticed how Harry never left him alone with the baby, always with a house elf to monitor him if Harry was called away. He, the greatest dark lord would not be monitored by mere servants!

"I-I can call Kreature or Sqwill to see over Orion. I'm sure you have important ministry stuff to get to," Harry waved vaguely, his eyes trained like a hawk on Orion.

"See to the children, Harry." The dark menace dripping from Tom's command had even the twins stilling in their bickering with Cerise. All three children finally looked at their quietly arguing parents. They could sense the roiling dark anger begin to seep out of their father as their other parent stood defenseless in the face of it. Even the house elves who'd been cleaning up the tables and mess of food the twins created scampered out of the room, dishes and utensils clattering in their haste.

Harry glanced at his children with worry, further inciting the anger in Tom. He stepped closed to the green eyed wizard and took his chin in a harsh grasp.

Leaning down until he was eye to eye with the shorter male, Tom hissed in parseltongue. He often slipped into that dialect when he was was angry. "Now, pet."

At Harrys imperceptible nod, Tom let go with such a force Harry stumbled back. Rom scurried forward and hugged his mothers leg, Reggie not far behind and taking the other leg. They both hissed angrily at their father. They didn't understand the dark magic now ebbing away from the room but they understood that their mother was visibly upset and shaking. Harry nervously smiled away his worries, at least for his children and knelt down to give them each a one handed hug.

"Boys, your father and I were just talking. Everything's okay." He kissed them on their forehead and ushered them quickly out of the room, snagging a very quiet and subdued Cerise on the way out. Tom didn't miss the way how Harry's gait quickened.

Orion yawned awake, starling a bit when red eyes looked down on him instead of green. He scrunched up his face as if to cry and Tom quickly sent up a muffling charm. He knew at the least bit of sound from Orion, Harry would be running to him and dark lord or not, the wizard would whisk away Orion.

Yes, he'd done some ….regrettable things but to have Harry deny him time alone with his own child was inexcusable. Yes, he hadn't had the best start with Orion but if he wanted the child dead, it would already be dead.

He hissed quietly at the baby whose red rimmed eyes popped open at the new sounds. Orion looked bemused for a second before giggling and clapping his hands in amusement. He reached chubby hands towards Toms lips, his eyes riveted at the source of those strange and wonderful sounds.

Tom continued to hiss nonsense, just saying different words to get his son acclimated to the language. He hadn't been sure that Orion would understand the language seeing as how he was a squib. It was odd that he didn't care that his son was a squib. To virtually all wizard families a squib was a great disgrace. He knew Harry feared he'd kill the child on virtue of it being a squib after his first failed attempt.

But it was born of his blood. And even he could admit it was his fault the child's magical core was suppressed. During the pregnancy, the child had been fine. He supposed the stress of the birth and then his attack somehow either drained or put a lock on Orion's magic. Harry didn't know it but Theodore Nott, a brilliant spells maker and researcher was working on a thesis about squibs and running experimentations with the goal to unlock their magical core. His research had yielded that squibs had magic, though on a lower level than an average wizards. It was merely blocked. So far there were promising results in the experiments but they needed access to ancient scrolls that he suspected the Chinese had. Hence the importance of the alliance Salazar was working so hard to create.

Tom sensed Harry hurrying back into the dining room. He turned just as Harry skidded to a stop, trying to hide how out of breath he was. He frowned when he heard nothing even as he saw Tom speak and Orion giggling and clapping. With a raised brow, Tom lifted the charm and the room was abruptly filled with their child's laughter. It echoed in the cavernous room, which caused Orion to cry out in delight.

Harry came closer and curled his hands around Orion. Tom let go without further protest. He wanted Harry to finish his duties so that they could finally go to bed. Another argument would just prolong his torture.

"Hello, Orion, did daddy teach you any words in parseltongue?" Harry cooed at the baby. Orion ignored him in favor of reaching for his mothers robes, his hands pawing at his chest. Flushing darkly, Harry stepped away from Tom. "Uh, he's hungry."

Tom nodded. He looked down at his son in annoyance. Surely he could not be jealous of his own child just because it got unrestricted access to Harry when he had been forced away. "I can see that. Go."

Harry nodded gratefully and turned from him.

"I expect you in my rooms tonight ready for me." Tom called out, deriving vicious pleasure from the way Harry's step faulted and his breath hitched. He was tired of the distance Harry erected between them. While his relationship with Harry wasn't even close to normal, over the years they'd reached a happy medium where Harry was free with his body and company. Isolation would do that to a person. But in the past weeks Harry avoided him at all costs unless their other children were about.

Harry nodded without turning back before he continued onto his nightly treks to the dungeons. Tom vowed he'd lick away the trails of whatever caused Harrys tears tonight and make the boy forget that damn mirror.

With turbulent thoughts of Harry clouding his mind, Tom stormed into his study looking for a distraction. He went directly in front of the six foot high fire place and firecalled the spies he had in place in China. He was overly harsh with them but pleased that his plan was progressing accordingly. When the hour long call ended, Tom was happy to turn away from the terrified faces of his death eaters.

There was a stack of paperwork for him that took him hours to complete. And even when he was halfway done, Salazar sent him more. He fire called the boy and with a few choice words, the cowed boy spelled most of the files back to his own office. Even so, it was almost midnight when Tom finished with his work.

Harry was usually finished with putting Orion to bed by eleven. The exhaustion of a new baby sent the man to sleep immediately after. With a growl of annoyance, Tom knew tonight wouldn't be the night he'd end his abstinence. Damn that boy! He was tempted to send a howler to Salazar.

He apparated straight Harrys room. Even if they couldn't have sex, he'd have the boy back in his own bed. It was not for cuddling. Of course not. The dark lord did not cuddle. He only wanted the boy in bed with him so he'd have easy access in the morning.

But he found the room adjacent to his completely empty, the rich red bedding pristine and untouched. He walked to his own room and found it in a similar state. Then he checked Orion's room but the baby was sleeping peacefully, a handful of safety charms erected around the crib. Cerise and the twins were likewise fast asleep in their respective beds.

He had one last place in mind to check before he planned to call the house elves to start a search on the wizard. Teeth bared and hissing in anger, he apparted to the dungeons and shoved open the half closed door standing between him and the cursed mirror. The door tore off the rusted hinges under his unchecked strength.

Harry jerked awake from his nap on the floor. He gingerly got to his feet and looked up warily at Tom.

"I thought I told you-" Tom began through gritted teeth but in his anger he didn't notice he stood directly in the path of the mirror. Harry shifted onto his left feet, allowed just a sliver of the mirror to peek through and Tom was ensnared by the power of the mirror.

He was mesmerized.

The scene played out like de ja vu. It was the day after Orion's birth. All his children were there, even Salazar. But still time he was was not hidden in the shadows like an unwelcome intruder. Tom saw himself actually smiling at Harry and to his greater surprise, he saw Harry smiling back at him. He was in the bed with Harry with the slighter man leaning into his chest. Mirror Tom's arms were around Harry, supporting him holding baby Orion. A black stoned ring that suspiciously looked like the Gaunt ring glinted on Harry's ring finger.

Tom lost his ability to breathe when he saw Harry's avada kedavra eyes turn to gaze into mirror Tom's and opened his mouth. As soon as he heard mirror Harry's mocking words, Tom screamed out loud and without thinking pointed the elder wand at the playing image.

"Praemio pulverium!"

(Note: praemio pulverium roughly translates to pulverize to dust in Latin)


	3. Chapter 3

I'm posting first on Ao3 under the same title with the author name SilverAngel621. That story also pictures of the characters.

Chapter 3

A dying fire tried feebly to light the great and cavernous rooms. Filled with the worlds greatest and darkest artifacts and books older than Hogwarts, the dark library was the perfect backdrop to the brooding man sitting at his throne like chair. With a decanter of Dragon's Blood vodka imported from Russia, Tom tried to drown himself in the libation.

In the otherwise silent room, the fire crackled loudly as it waned throughout the night. The dark wizard stared into nothing as it finally died away and he was left with the haunting words of his slave echoing incessantly inside his head. He'd tried everything to silence those words. Torturing his captives and then the few Death Eaters who'd managed to piss him off hadn't even taken the edge off.

After the mirror exploded into dust, the backlash of the powerful spell had caught Harry off guard. Tom had just stood stupefied as he'd watched a part of the mirror's metal frame stabbing into his consort's stomach. Harry hadn't been hurt by his hands since Hadrian's birth. Only the oroborus collar around Harrys neck that both ensured his captivity and his safety, the latter unbeknownst to Harry, kept the boy safe from death via the stab wound. As Harry lay gasping for breath, an anguished look of surprise stamped on his face, the collar had lashed out at him to keep all potential threats at bay and called for the house elves to take Harry away.

Only then had Tom been forced to calm himself. Kneeling amidst the glittering dust of glass, he'd panted out his anger. But the beast lay too close to the surface and he'd ended up destroying the entire dungeon until it was little more than mortar and brick; stained with his black magic and Harry's pure blood.

He'd called a late night meeting with his Death Eaters and turned his beast onto them. He'd ordered his captives to be brought to him- a few foreign dignitaries that didn't agree with him, families that had gone against him, some princes, aurors, stray members of the ever present Order of the Phoenix- and killed about half. His most loyal and faithful inner circle watched with growing dread. Never had they seen him as unhinged as this since the assassination attempt on Salazar when the boy was merely seven. With the unification of most of Tom's horcruxes into his body, the Death Eaters had gotten used to the more sane, albeit still cruel, man.

Severus had even braved torture to ask if there was anything he could do, while Lucius cowered just behind the dark haired man. Tom had used the crucio on the both of them.

But even over their screams, he heard those terrible words. Not just the words themselves, but the words coming from Harry specifically was crippling. Here the Dark Lord thought himself untouchable, immortal. And yet, one slip of a boy forced him to face his greatest weakness.

Now, in the silence of the library, lit only by a sliver of a moon that dared to peek out on such a tragic night, the mirror's words slithered inside of Tom's head with the power to incite an insidious hope.

He took another sip of his vodka. Was it his six or seventh glass? He made a note to inform Nott to procure him some more. Harry insisted on shopping for groceries the muggle way. He kept the kitchen and the bar in his study, receiving room, and dining room, full with his favorite foods and drinks, but Dragon's Blood was still an illegal contraband in the wizarding UK. Relations were still hostile with wizarding Russia; the fools refused to come under his power while falsely postulating about their nonexistent progress into transformational magic. He would crush them once he finished his business with China and then he could stock his home full of all the bloody Dragons Blood vodka as he damned pleased. And without having to have his death eaters sneak the stuff in.

"Tom?" The soft voice broke the litany of words torturing him. Tom smiled in pained amusement. Who knew the very source of his personal torture would be the solution to said torture?

He looked over to see a perfectly healthy Harry standing ten feet away from him wearing a thin, silky robe. His beautiful face shone like a blazing lodestar to his light starved soul, still so youthful and full of life after so many years. Perhaps if he reached out with his fingers, Harry would not burn him.

"Why aren't you in bed?" Tom asked with a sardonic drawl.

Green eyes flashed angrily at him. Tom was too mesmerized by the deep color to notice that Harry had marched right up to him and slapped him hard across the face. Tom blinked. It took a second for pain to register, having not felt that particular sensation in a very long time. As a boy, he'd been mired in pain. It was more familiar to him than a loving touch. He moved his jaw slowly and stood up from his chair. Harry stood his ground firmly, but his hands were clenched at his sides and his entire body was trembling. But not in fear, never in fear.

No matter the torture, Harry never cowered from him in fear. Perhaps in pain, or exhaustion, or anguish, but never fear. He'd always hated and admired that about Harry.

Harry took a step closer until the fabric of his black robe brushed against Tom's shirt and trousers. There were still bits of blood and clumps of torn flesh staining his white shirt. Tom was sure he smelled of blood, gore, and filth, yet here Harry stood smelling like lemongrass and parchment and still drying ink. The sudden urge to dirty his slave, to cover him in blood as Tom covered his own body with Harry's blood, suddenly overtook him. He wanted to fuck the boy- no clothes, no magic, just Harry and him. No lube, just sweat, blood and saliva coating his cock as he shoved it into the boy and let the pounding of his heart overpower any other sounds or words.

"You bloody ass! Don't you ever dare do that to me again! Do you hear me?" Harry slapped both hands against Tom's chest, but the dark wizard stood like a statue in front of the raging boy. "It may not mean anything to you, but I am a parent. A parent! To your children! They know nothing about us and I want to keep it that way! You had your chance to kill me, you coward! But not now, I will never leave my children alone with you!" Harry hissed. Out of nowhere Harry whipped out a small and clear spherical object.

"I may not be the true boy who was prophesied to kill you, but I can cripple you enough until Neville can."

Before Tom could get in a word otherwise, Harry chanted an unknown spell. His eyes went wide as he was forced to his knees, his large body dropping heavily. He felt the air contract around him, even as he saw the sphere lifted from Harry's fingers and expand into a shimmering bubble, encasing his body. The gossamer layers knitted together until there was an entire bubblegum surrounding him. The invisible band constricting his lungs dissipated and he inhaled large, choking gasps of air into his deprived lungs.

"What the hell was that?" Tom gasped out, furious for an all together different reason.

Harry stood tall and unflinchingly above him. "That, Lord Tom, was a spell your son Hadrian crafted not shortly after you tried to Murder. Your. Own. Son!," Harry hissed, his tongue slipping into parseltongue. Usually, when Harry used his title and spoke in parseltongue, Tom knew the boy was at his maximum level of rage.

"Hadrian helped me master it not too long ago. Don't even bother using your own magic." Harry snorted when Tom tried to use his elder wand against the bubble. It shot a stinging pain into his wand arm until he was forced to drop it. He shook out his hand, glaring at Harry the entire time.

"It uses your magic to create the barrier, so it stays as strong for as long as you stay strong."

"Harry, take it off. Now!" Tom banged his fists against the barrier. It felt like cool glass underneath his fists. It didn't even falter under his dark aura. Feeling along with his fingertips, Tom felt his son's unique magical signature, mixed with Harry's, strong and pulsing. But the essence of the makeshift cage was all his magic, as dark as a black hole and just as dangerous. He should have known that brat was capable of such magic, seeing as he himself had taken over tutoring Hadrian when he showed much more magical potential than all his other siblings. It was enough to rival Voldermort's own magical abilities. Then it had been a point of pride. Now, that the brat was using it against his own damn father, it was going to be point of contention. Tom was going to hex that boy the minute he got free.

Harry lifted his chin stubbornly. "I can leave you here, incapacitated indefinitely until I find Neville and bring him here to kill you. Or even go to the order and get a dementor here to give you the kiss. That way, you'll be alive in body and you won't be able to come back in another body and interfere with me living my life with my children."

Tom sneered, his eyes flashing red. How dare Harry threaten him?! "Then why don't you do that, little slave?"

Gracefully falling to his knees in front of Tom, Harry looked him straight in the eye. But what Tom saw there confused him. Hurt and anger swirled in those emerald orbs, glittering with unshed tears. A watery laugh resounded inside the quiet library. "Because at the end of the day, you are the father to my wonderful children. They are the greatest gifts you have given me, my greatest joy. And I lo-" Harry faltered and blinked. Finally, twin drops slipped from his sooty lashes and ran down his cheeks simultaneously.

Harry gulped and continued doggedly. "I love them. I would never hurt them for anything. So I am not going to kill you, but neither will I let myself be killed by you. I foolishly thought you could never kill me, at first because I was your horcrux, and second because I gave you our children. I know you care for them deeply." Harry looked at him as if in question.

Feeling almost insulted, Tom gave him a curt nod. Though he may not show it, he cherished his children. In them he saw the second chance he never got, a way to relive and correct his childhood.

"You know I made a vow to never raise my wand towards you. I wanted the same vow from you, but until now I did not have the means to force your hand. So, you're going to make that vow to me now, that you'll never use your wand against me for anything. Then I will release the barrier." Harry lifted up his hands, placing them over Tom's. The barrier separated them from feeling each other's warmth.

When Tom said nothing, Harry curled his fists and hit at the barrier softly in frustration. "Tom, please!" he pleaded. "I'm not doing this to control you. I'm doing this for our family. They would never forgive you if you killed me." Harry broke down in sobs, leaning his forehead against the cool barrier.

The lovers leaned against the barrier, both quiet for a while. The flames of anger slowly simmered down to barely smoke and ash as Tom took deep calming breaths and just drank in the sight of Harry. The younger wizard had dark circles under his eyes. He looked leaner than he should be, considering he had just given birth. Tom made a note to inform Severus to make some nutrient potions and have the house elves make a high nutrient and carb diet for Harry.

"What about you?" Tom said after a while, breaking the silence.

Harry pulled back so that he could look at Tom's face. He tilted his head in bemusement. "What?"

"What about you, little Harry? You worry about the children's reaction to your death, but what about you? Don't you want to live for yourself?"

Harry blinked in confusion as if he'd never even given that a thought. "I-I-" Harry pulled his hands away and played them across his lap. "They're all that matters. My life ended that night in the graveyard," he finally said in hushed tones.

Always so selfless, this boy. Tom remembered the grief the boy had been drowning in the first year after his capture at the graveyard. Harry had explained tonelessly how he'd wanted to share his win with Cedric, despite Harry having to go back and save Cedric. And because of his actions, Cedric had been killed. Of course, Harry had been angry Tom had killed Cedric but he'd blamed himself more for Cedric's death. And throughout the years Tom had seen that same –annoying- selflessness over and over again. First sacrificing his free will for the safety of his friends, then his entire dreams and hopes for his children. It was something Tom couldn't understand. Harry always gave, expecting nothing back. Tom took the kings share of everything Harry had to give, becoming akin to a jealous dragon hoarding it's treasure of gold against others. With the exception of his younger children, he hated even the little bits Harry gave to his friends and his so called family that had long ago abandoned him. Once the Order had hailed him as their hero, their prophesied defeat or of the Dark Lord and now they denounced him as the Slytherin Slut, the Dark Lords puppet. A traitor.

"The collar, it won't allow me to kill you. It won't allow anyone to kill you," Tom explained so quietly Harry almost didn't hear.

He'd enacted that particular charm after a few of his enemies had tried to kill Harry when the wizard was twenty-three. He hadn't seen reason to tell Harry that though, figuring it was one less thing the boy could hold over his head. He had already made so many allowances for the boy, and he couldn't be seen as weak. And for sure, Harry was a weakness. If his enemies thought they could hurt him by attacking Harry, then Harry was a weakness Tom needed to hide at all costs.

"I-d-don't-un-understand." Harry stuttered haltingly. "what do you mean? How long?"

"Since that assassination attempt by the Russians."

Harry frowned at him in suspicion. "And you can't kill me either?"

Tom shook his head.

"Oh!" Harry exclaimed quietly. "Well, thank you I suppose. But then again, it is smart to keep me alive. I am housing your horcrux, so killing me would kill a part of you. I probably should have suspected," his tone laden with jaded pessimism. Harry muttered a few words and the sphere started to slowly melt away into smoke. It all congealed between them to form the clear ball again.

Harry didn't notice Tom's red rimmed eyes. He hadn't actually thought of Harry as his horcrux when he'd put that powerful charm on the collar. But he couldn't tell Harry that. However, he was mad at himself now because the safety of his horcrux should be his primary concern, not Harry for whatever reason.

When Tom reached for the clear ball, Harry didn't stop him. Tom turned it over in his hands before slipping it inside his trouser pockets. He had every intention of studying it later. How his son even made such thing was concerning.

"You do know Hadrian has more, right?" Harry had a small smirk on his face. Tom was annoyed that he found it funny that their own son had managed to outsmart him.

"Stay still." Harry looked up curiously but Tom didn't want to explain himself. He reached out his hands and encircled Harry's slender, white throat. He jerked but otherwise stayed still under Tom's hands. The boys pulse fluttered like small butterfly wings against his calloused thumbs. Closing his eyes, and concentrating all his magic, Tom chanted out an old spell he'd found in the books of Morgana le Fey, a book he'd found in his extensive travels thought to be a myth. He felt Harry's nervous gulp as the boy's throat muscles worked under the sudden warmth of the spell. A slight golden glow emanated from the collar, the metal almost melting to liquid before solidifying again as the glow disappeared.

"What did you do?"

But instead of answering him, Tom leaned forward and captured those magenta hued lips. They were soft and wet with tears under his touch, and when he slipped his tongue in, Harry was deliciously warm and welcoming. Where the vodka had done nothing to warm him, one touch from Harry lit a blazing fire that rapidly melted all the ice in his veins.

Harry whimpered under his gentle assault. Tom slid his hands from Harry's neck, to the collar of his robes; his fingers latching onto the fabric as he slid his hands across Harry's shoulders and down his arms. The fabric slid sinuously against his goose pimpled skin. Tom didn't stop until the fabric revealed Harry's peachy pink skin to his ravenous gaze. He flung the offending fabric away, Harry's eyes snapping open at the sudden movement.

He pulled away violently, his legs curling up over his growing arousal and his arms going around his chest in a belated attempt at modesty. Tom smirked. He liked it when Harry played the shy, affronted virgin.

"That was a new spell, it prevents me from hurting you."

"Why would you do that?" Harry blurted out, clearly surprised. Tom prowled closer to Harry, looking very much like a black panther. But he was much more dangerous than a mere animal. He slid his hands up Harry's bare torso, still soft from childbirth.

"Why look a gift horse in the mouth, do you want to be hurt by me?" The dark wizard slid his hands higher from Harry's waist and flicked Harry's pebbled nipple with his nail.

Harry whined and bit his lip. He was blushing when he shook his head no.

"Good."

Without further ado, he lunged forward, toppling the boy onto his back. Tom crouched like a predator above his prey. He captured his slave's lips in another kiss, this one much more violent than its predecessor. He was angry that Harry dared question his motives. He was giving the boy something he'd never even think to give to anyone else, not even his children. Did Harry not realize the amount of power he now had over him?

So Tom put all his anger and frustration and confusion and kissed his lover. He bit at Harry's lips, drawing blood before laving the red liquid away with his tongue.

"Let me amend that," he whispered against Harry's kiss-bruised lips. "I can still hurt, just not my magic." His lips swallowed Harry's embarrassed, "Oh!" his tongue bullying his way past Harry's lips.

His hands did not remain idle. One slipped up and thumbed at Harry's neglected nipple, thumbing it to a hard and aching point. The other slid down Harry's hips, fingers pressing hard into the boy's supple skin. It slid over Harry's thigh and leg before his fingers curled around Harry's calves and pulled the long appendage to curl around his waist. Harry's other leg followed without needing Tom's directive.

"Did you miss me?" Tom taunted, thrusting his clothed dick over Harry's growing hardness. Still, after all these years, the boy could harden within seconds. He still possessed the quick refractory period of a teenager too.

Though Harry was in his mid forties, he still looked like he was in his early twenties. It was in part thanks to a wizards longer life span, but also Tom's magic. He'd switched around with how old Harry looked in the past years, but finally settled on Harry's current looks when he'd figured out his preferences. He had thoroughly enjoyed the young teenage Harry and his nubile body. It was equally as appealing as Harry's older body with the scars and stretch marks of his childbirths, his limbs slightly padded with lingering fat from pregnancy. And this body now, a mix between the mature Harry and the young Harry, was absolutely intoxicating.

The skin was smooth and velvet soft under his lips as Tom made his way across Harry's cheek and down his sharp jaw to his straining neck. His lips slid over cool metal before moving down Harry's clavicle, his lips latching onto a collar bone.

"Tom, wait, I'm not…I don't want this…"

Tom bared his teeth and bit around the bone, his tongue heavy on the thin skin stretched over the fragile bone. He sucked hard, wanting to leave a mark of his possession on Harry. Harry breathed hard, his breath hitching at the slight pain. The boy's slim fingers slid into Tom's chocolate brown curls, laying passively against his skill. Tom knew by experience those fingers wouldn't tighten in his hair until Harry was lost in a mindless haze of pleasure.

Sliding done further, Tom's lips joined the fingers rolling Harry's nipple. He spread his mouth wide and sucked. Harry grunted hard and arched off the carpet. He was still very sensitive since he was breastfeeding. His fingers clutched at Tom's hair and pulled beseechingly.

Tom shook his head to dislodge the fingers, but looked up nonetheless. He looked wild, his perfect hair in disarray and his black pupils completely obliterating the deep blue of his eyes.

"Tom…" Harry's voice came out wispy in the quiet room. "Stop. I want you to stop."

Tom ignored him and went back to his feast. His lips dipped over Harry's flat abdomen, then lingered at the adorable little pouch at his lower stomach, his tongue licking up the salt like ambrosia.

"So delicious," he murmured against Harry's skin. He slid down further, mouthing at the slight 'v' of Harry's hips, his chest brushing Harry's leaking cock. Hot precum smeared against Tom's still clothed chest. With an annoyed grunt, he spelled away his clothes to be better able to feel Harry. The boy's hips lifted involuntarily into Tom's touch.

Tom chuckled low and dark. "So wanton." The boy whined in protest and tried to move away from him. Tom's harsh hands kept his slave anchored right where he was, right where Tom wanted him.

He followed the dip of Harry's hip until his hot and moist breath ghosted over the base of Harry's cock. He ran his hand along the length, wanting to tease the boy into a mess of desire.

"No, Tom I said stop!" The boys voice gained volume as he tried one more time to buck the larger man off of him. With an impatient growl and in no mood for further resistance, Tom reached for his ever present wand.

"Tempus dilecto." Harry's eyes temporarily went wide in horror before instantly becoming clouded with desire. It was one of the old spells he hadn't heard in a while. It had been a particular favorite of Tom's in the beginning, making Harry mindless with desire with the flick of the wand. Tom remembered bringing up the memories of Harry's wanton behavior in a pensive for Harry to look at.

He looked down in triumph at the boy. He couldn't have what he'd seen in the mirror but he'd have this for the rest of his endless life. Harry desiring him and him only. Reaching for him with desperate arms and calling out to only him.

"…please, Tom, please. It's been so long…" Ah, how those pleas soothed over the rabid beast inside him, so much like a sirens call. Screams of pain were easy to pull out of the boy, but these…these gems of Harry's pleas for pleasure, pleasure only given by him were intoxicating.

Tom laid the boy flat and drove straight towards the boys beacon of desire. He licked along the shaft, licking up the dripping precum like a man starved. He didn't let one drop go to waste. Tom placed one last kiss along Harry's shaft then moved along to his tight balls. Harry jerked into a half seated position before crumpling to the floor again when Tom took one of those beautiful jewels into his mouth. Tom sucked softly, knowing how sensitive Harry was at this point. But it didn't last long. Harry's fingers urged Tom's head to go lower. When he looked up, the boy had his eyes squeezed shut, but his hands were sure as they guided Tom lower until he'd reached that winking, pink rosebud he was so obsessed with.

Impatient, Tom dove in with barely leashed control. He laved and licked at the tightly puckered hole. After months of disuse it was virgin tight, but Tom was determined. The furled muscles opened like a blooming flower under his tongue. He poked his tongue inside, goaded on by Harry's escalating cries. Soon, fingers joined his probing tongue until he had four fingers curling inside the boy, his fingers teasingly nudging against Harry's prostate. The boy undulated beneath him; Tom had to hold Harry's hips to the ground to keep the boy from bucking him off.

"Tom- Tom! I'm close, gonna cum!" Harry moaned out, already lost to the pleasure of the Dark Lord's touch.

No! Harry would not cum until Tom was pulsing and hard inside of him. Tom surged up and caught Harry's next moan inside his mouth. He swallowed the sound, taking Harry's very breath. He wanted to utterly consume the frustrating boy. Harry moaned as his own musky flavor exploded inside his mouth, the kiss messy, wet and so very dirty. But the boy didn't mind. Tom licked further into Harry's hot cavern, invading it like a foreign conqueror.

His hands spread Harry's legs until they lay flat and bent on the carpeted floor. Tom lodged his hard, long length against Harry's wet opening, the purple head catching onto its rim.

His head lurched sideways to breathe and Tom buried his head in the crook of Harry's sweaty neck. He bit down against the pristine and unmarked skin at the exact moment he thrust forward into Harry's warmth. The boy screamed out, Tom's cock only going in about half way.

Tom grunted, thrusting his hips in small movements and, with a glorious slide, he'd slid himself entirely into Harry's tense body. He took a few seconds to bask in the scorching heat; the pulsing muscles fluttering and squeezing him deliciously.

He started moving only when Harry relaxed. He lay docile with his hand curved over Tom's shoulder, with the other resting lightly against his nape. Tom leaned in a bit and bit on Harry's ear lobe as he set a hard and pounding rhythm. He pulled away and looked into Harry's hazy eyes, the green of them aqueous with bated desire. He wanted Harry to cum with him.

So with his free hand, he reached between them and clutched at Harry's semi hard cock. Quick movements of his wrist had the boy fully hard and panting. A few hard pumps, a quick twist of the wrist, and both of them exploded into a mind numbing orgasm. Harry's cum spurted out onto his stomach. Tom came in a scalding hot burst, quickly filling Harry up to the brim. He fucked into Harry through his orgasm, the excess semen oozing out then being thrust back in with Tom's every movement.

When he finished, Harry's arms urged him closer until Tom was forced to lay his entire body on top of the boy. Harry struggled under his heavy weight but made no protest.

"Mine," Tom whispered, just as Harry's eyes fluttered open in clarity.

"Get. Off. Now!" Harry thrashed wildly under him, and Tom, still coming down from the high of his orgasm let him go. "I hope that was memorable, Lord Voldemort, because that will be the last in a long while!"

On his knees and hands, Tom panted above Harry with hooded, dark eyes. "Your cock was as hard as mine before the spell. Why the hell should I have stopped?"

A humorless laugh followed Tom's blunt declaration. "Because I asked, Tom!" Harry's voice was unnaturally loud in the quiet room. He sat up and curled his legs over his privates, forcing Tom to crawl back a few feet. But he didn't go far, his muscles tense and ready to pounce on the boy at any minute.

"Have you ever asked me to take me to bed? No? How surprising." Harry mocked. "You almost killed me a few hours ago and you expect me to fall at your feet with my thighs spread for you. You destroyed the one thing tonight that gave me happiness but do you see me ranting like a small child? No! But, you, you just need to point your wand and you get everything you want, regardless if that might hurt others. Hurt me! How much more selfish can you get?!"

"That mirror was happiness to you?" Tom growled incredulously, his eyes completely bleeding into red and glowing dangerously. "You spend hours in front of it crying. Crying and neglecting the children you were so ready to give your life for just a few minutes ago." He mocked with a vicious sneer.

Harry's shoulders stiffened at the mention of his children. His teeth gashed together. "Don't. You. Ever. Accuse me of neglecting my children. My children!" Harry, in his anger instinct it accioed his robes to his hands wand less. Neither of them noticed. "Unlike your mother, I'd never neglect them for a hopeless dream. And how ironic that you are exactly the same as the woman you despise. How different are you spelling my arousal when she forced your father's love with a potion?"

Baring his teeth, he hissed in parseltongue. It was one trait he and Harry shared, slipping into the serpents tongue when at their breaking point. "That muggle was not my father! He was nothing! And never mention that whore to me again!"

Harry visibly shrank back in the face of his anger, finally. Nevertheless he lifted his chin defiantly. "Don't you dare touch me again or I will use Hadrian's spell again and this time I won't let you out." Harry shrugged in the robes and limped to his feet, wincing as he pulled a muscle.

Heedless of his nudity, Tom stalked forward. "Before you go around tossing any more threats at me, pet, remember who I am. I am the greatest dark lord in history, I am your master. And a good slave knows their place…right under the masters boot."

Angry green eyes met red. "A good slave also knows their master's weakness. And you're weakness is that you'll always be that scared, unloved little boy no matter how many people get on their knees for you." With that last parting shot, Harry turned his back to him and slammed out of the room. The boy was limping heavily and would be for a few days. It was a small and insignificant victory in the light of their fight.

Tom's frustrated screams rang loud inside the room. This was not how he'd seen the night going. That bloody mirror! Thank Merlin it was destroyed. He'd soon forget the blasted mirror even existed, as would Harry. It was weak of him to let it go on for so long. He knew Harry saw his escape from Tom in the mirror and it only gave false hope. Tom would never let go of Harry. It gave the boy the backbone to fight aback against him. No more. As a dark lord he would not tolerate such blatant disregard.

He looked out the window to see the first rays of sunlight slipping over the horizon. Casting a cleansing charm over him, he dressed in his discarded robes. He'd neglected work for too long in his misplaced worry for Harry. There was much to be seen too. Before he left, he left a note to the house elves to clean up the mess in the dungeons and met with the night shift of death eaters just because his fingers were itching to through out a few spells. If he couldn't take it out on the source of his frustrations, then he'd just use what-or rather who- was left available to him.

He flooed to the ministry, determined to forget the last twenty four hours.

As the Riddle household slowly began to bustle to wakefulness, the house elves going about making breakfast and seeing to their daily duties, the day shift death eaters popping up to relieve the night shift, none payed attention to the cloaked figure that sneaked in through the long forgotten tunnels and went into the the destroyed chambers. Before the house elves could come to fix up the rubble, the mysterious figure swept up as much of the white dust as possible into a clear vial before sneaking back through the tunnels, as quiet and unnoticed as the rats in the gutter.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Reggie, pull up your pants. You will not be flashing everyone at the party. There are kings here in attendance! Cerise, please stop pulling at your hair, I swear on Merlin himself its as pretty and as curly as it will get. Lily, could you go check on James? Oh, Alfred, thank you love." Harry took a second for himself and took a relaxing breath as Alfred handed him a thankfully sleeping Orion and went over to help Cerise with her hair.

He didn't know when this chaos had become tradition but anytime they had a party, all the children would pile into his rooms with their robes bunched in their hands and tried to monopolize the single floor to ceiling mirror facing Harry's large canopy bed as they got ready. His three eldest sons had once been part of that tradition until Salazar declared he didn't need his mother fussing over him at age ten, James decided a shirt and trousers thrown under any old robe made him fit for the grandest occasions, and Hadrian was told by Tom he needed to be at the party supervising and not mollycoddled by Harry. He missed them being here like this, but at least he had Lily and Alfred for a few years before they decided they were too old for this.

As always, there was a grand party thrown at the restored Slytherin Palace for the birth of another Riddle child. All the dignitaries and kings from Toms allied countries came to give their congratulations. There were equally as as many enemies but the party was a show of Toms growing power. They'd moved from the Riddle manor to the palace a month ago to get everything ready for the week long house party. Tom had wanted to have the party earlier on but Harry nixed that idea very quickly. He refused to allow Tom's political games to interfere with his children's education. So they waited until after the children were on their winter holiday. But that meant that their Yule celebration, which Tom usually celebrated with his closest death eaters would be coming up right after this party and it was just a greater stressor in Harry. He didn't like it but he understood the necessity of showcasing Tom's power.

Harry had thought, seeing as how Orion was a squib that Tom wanted to figuratively sweep Orion under the rug. But this year, there were almost a thousand guests, not including the mass number of press that were to be present at the event.

Orion's slight weight was reassuring against Harrys hips but he still worried. Tom might have tolerated his squib son but that didn't mean the other wizards would. After the news broke Harry had given birth to a squib, the wizarding world had be in an up roar. Harry had had a few supporters, namely Luna Lovegood, editor of the very successful Quibbler but many others like the Daily Prophet vilified him. They blamed him, calling him a failure. Never mind he'd given Tom eight very powerful children. And Harry hated how they already attacked Orion, a defenseless baby. Under Tom's reign, squibs had been given a few more rights but the entire wizarding community still looked down on them. But Orion was just as perfect as his other children and Harry would hex anyone who said otherwise to his face at the party tonight.

He and his family would be welcoming their guests tonight with dinner and a ball. There was an entire itinerary for the rest of the week and just thinking about it made Harry want to cry and hide under his covers with Orion. But he had a duty as Tom's…Consort? Honestly Harry still didn't know where he stood with the man. When he was a teen, he knew clearly he was just a political pawn, a slave to Tom but things changed. So many things changed.

He sighed and shook his head. He didn't have time to mull over Tom and the jumbled mess their relationship-or whatever it was. Ever since the mirror incident, Tom went back to sixteen sometimes the entire day at the ministry. Sometimes the man would travel for a few days. At first Harry has been glad, his anger at the library incident still fresh. But it had quickly moved to annoyed as he'd had nothing to be angry at other than the death eaters and he didn't think it would fair to glare at them constantly. That bastard had promised Harry he wouldn't use such spells again as long as Harry came to bed without much fuss. But he was a person, goddammit, as much as Tom wanted to treat him like a favored possession. He had the bloody right to say no and say fuck off to Tom's face when he bloody well didn't feel like spreading his legs at the drop of a wand.

But as much as Harry was angry with Tom, it had been overshadowed by his children's confusion and sadness when Tom wasn't there. He'd broken down and sent a howler to Tom in a fit of pique after seeing Cerise moping about asking for her father. He hadn't known what to expect, but it definitely hadn't been Tom calm and at dinner that night. Cerise had been ecstatic, complained about how horrible the twins were then asked about Tom's travels, wondering if he had seen any dragons. Harry happy to see his children happy, ignored Tom for the most part. For the sake of the children, no more was said about the mirror or library and Tom cut down his hours a bit to at least make dinner and pick up the kids from their day school. Even if the man was abroad, Tom made sure to get a special license from that hovering country to floo home. But Harry was still wary of the man. This just seemed like the calm before a storm.

Before, he'd been lulled into a false sense of security. He'd hoped perhaps Tom was realizing his children needed him to actually be present instead of the invisible omnipresent figure the children hardly knew. The man had shown Harry consideration, helping him with the twins and Cerise. And like the stupid man he was, he let himself hope that maybe, just maybe Tom's mask was cracking. But nature proved to be more consistent. It proved that Tom's mask hadn't cracked at all. It was no mask. The image of the doting father Tom presented for the few weeks after Orion's birth-that had been the mask. And how easily he'd ripped it off as he'd brought Harry to his humiliation on the library floor.

Harry vowed he learn from his lesson this time. He was more wary, never letting himself be alone with Tom. Be it their children or houseelves, harry always had someone with him. The wizard had promised not to touch him and so far the promise proved true. He didn't know if it was actually Tom's voluntary decision or the constant chaperones Harry kept around.

Though the younger children didn't notice the cold rift between them, both Hadrian and Salazar had. His older son had merely given him an enquiring look of concern that Harry waved off. But Hadrian was harder to assuage, the boy more persistent and unwavering in his questions. But Harry's problems were his own and not something the children should be concerning themselves over. So he made a small effort to have at least some stilted conversations with Tom. It wasn't his fault he couldn't help the bite to his tone or the cutting insults that more often than not ended all their conversation with Harry screaming at Tom and Tom slamming out of the room. It was actually progress for them. In previous years, it'd take them weeks if not months to pass through the silent and ignore each other phase.

He huffed. Harry didn't know what to make of tom. Sometimes the man acted desperate, sweeping up Harry in his tidal wave of fiery passion. It left no room for thought. Half the time Harry could barely breathe. The Tom he'd faced that night in the library had been a man he hadn't seen in a long time. Selfish, unthinking, only thinking of his own wants. Harry wasn't naive. He knew the kind of man Tom was. But he'd grown complacent. He'd come to expect a certain level of respect. He supposed he was just foolish. He was almost glad for the reprieve this week promised. Tom would be too busy threatening his allies and enemies alike and in the meantime Harry would be too busy playing peacemaker to concern himself over Tom. Which reminded him, he had to get ready!

Thankfully Sqwill popped up at that moment with his bony arms held up towards Orion. "Sqwill be taking young master while master be getting ready."

Harry smiled gratefully and readily handed his baby over. He'd been gifted the house elf when he'd taken control over his Potter Lordship. Well, more accurately, Tom had looked into his lordship and found many of the funds and possessions misappropriated by the Order. He'd gotten Harry's magical permission to take back his lordship and handed everything he'd gotten back to Harry to do what he willed. His lordship came with an entire fleet of houseelves That refused the various articles of clothing Harry offered them and were determined to stay under his command. Privy to Harry's frazzled mumblings about what to do with the house elves who were constantly afoot-one of them tried to wipe his ass once when he'd been in the loo!- Draco had offered his experience house elf Sqwill to take command of the other elves. She'd even managed to bring Dobby, the most overzealous of the lot to heal.

"Thank you, Sqwill." Much like Dobby, the house elves was unused to gratitude from their masters and flushed an ugly shade of purple before bowing so low her forehead touched the ground. Harry giggled behind his hand as Sqwill raised Orion high so the baby wouldn't touch the floor.

"Take him to the nursery for now, I'll fetch him when it's time."

"Of course master. Thank you master for trusting Sqwill, master." With a few more bows, the elf happily tottered away towards the smaller room adjacent to Harry's.

He was about to close to the doors to his rooms so he could get ready in relative privacy-or as much privacy as his room allowed with the rest of his brood running around and yelling and getting ready themselves when Reggie, sans pants, went streaking out the door laughing manically.

"Reggie!" Harry called out, scrambling after the half naked toddler just as a completely naked Rom joined Reggie. There were suspicious red blotches all over their bodies as well as welling scratch marks.

"Rom, Reggie, get back here now! Rom!"

The running trio reached around a corner, Harry loosing sight of them for only a minute before he skidded to a halt when he saw Draco Malfoy levitating both of his boys a few feet in the air. As always, he looked poised. The picture perfect aristocrat, he looked like he stepped off the pages of a magazine with his dark green robes pressed straight, his white blond hair gleaming under the lights and his features carefully blank. The only thing marring the handsome visage was the small scar on his upper lip. The twins wore identical scowls on their faces, their bare legs kicking out at the tall blonde man with their hands cupped over their privates. They only stilled when Draco pulled out the patent Malfoy smirk and raised a perfect brow before nodding over to Harry.

Harry, who was glaring at them fiercely with his hands on his hips. "Care to explain why you two just decided to run around the house naked for everyone to see?"

Reggie and Rom shared a look before looking up contritely at Harry and simultaneously shook their head head no, their auburn curls wiggling madly.

"No?" He decided to give them one more chance to explain. When they didn't, he stalked forward. "So what about these rashes, where did they come from?" Harry waved towards one large blotches right on Rom's tummy.

"From our clothes." Rom said.

Reggie nodded in agreement. "They were itchy."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "And why were they itchy?"

Rom shrugged "Maybe it was made-"

Reggie interjected. "Out of thornberry cotton?"

"You wouldn't be lying to your mother, would you boys?" Draco drawled with a sardonic twist to his thin lips. He carefully lowered them to the ground. As one, the twins turned to him and stuck out their tongue.

Harry tasked and accioed the twins clothing. The twins looked fearfully at each other. "Hmm, they don't look like they're made from thornberry cotton." Harry caught up the clothing and made a show of running his hands over the soft and expensive cloth. "They certainly don't feel like thornberry cotton. In fact they feel like-"

Reggie was the one who broke first. "Mommy, Cerise cursed us!"

"With itching powder!" Rom explained.

"Oh? And did she have a good reason?" Harry asked reasonably. Draco snickered.

"No." The twins said at the same time. They looked away from Harrys searching look.

"Draco, you're a potions master, right?"

Draco caught Harry's wink and smiled back. "Of course, Harry. Why do you ask?"

"Perhaps you can brew me some veritas serum? Or perhaps you have it in your personal stock. I can give it to the twin's right away to make sure they're not lying to me about this. And perhaps I can ask if they know who broke my vase last month or who spelled the orange room carpet back at Riddle manor to bite at the houseelves or-"

"Mommy! We're sorry. So sorry!" Both Reggie and Rom grabbed Harry around the waist and shoved their terrified faces into his robes.

"We were just playing," Reggie began.

Rom nodded to corroborate his brothers story. "Just playing innocently." He ignored Harry's disbelieving snort.

"Very innocently. When Cerise came and knocked over a potion."

"We worked so hard on it!" Rom said fiercely, frowning again. Harry knew at least that part was true. While they were mischievous, they were none the less very studious when it came to potions. Given his own aversion to potions when he was in Hogwarts, he attributed the twins affinity to it entirely on Severus's influence.

"So we just gave her some interesting hair."

"It was really for her to play with."

"It looked like baby Nagini's"

"And then she cursed us with itchy clothes."

"You should punish her mommy."

Rom nodded his head vigorously. "Yes, punish her mommy."

"Punish her good."

Harry sighed in exasperation and shook his head at Draco's smirk. Getting down to his knees, he looked at twins straight in the eye. "I'm going to talk to Cerise to hear her side of the story. But either way, in this family we do not retaliate for every mistake. Okay? If someone does something bad or hurts someone we talk about it and apologize. Not curse each other until you two are forced running down the halls naked and Cerise is left fighting off snakes in her hair."

The twins nodded controlled. "Yes, mommy, we're sorry mommy. Forgive us?" Both poked out their bottom lip and blinked up at Harry. He had to laugh at their picture perfect display of remorse. Were he a weaker man, he would have caved. As it was, it was still terribly hard not to forgive them on the spot and smother them in hugs and kisses. So as a responsible parent he settled on one-for now. He hugged them each and kissed their foreheads.

"We'll see."

The twins took that as forgiveness and whooped, before grabbing their clothes from Harry and running back their rooms. Getting back to his feet, Harry shook his head.

"I don't know where those two learned the medusa spell."

Draco smirked and tilted his head. "Remember our second year? I sent a snake at you and you scared half the school when you started speaking to it."

Harry shoved at Draco. "Hey, let's not forget I put you on your ass just before you sent me that snake."

"You know, I think I'm feeling ghost pains in that area." Draco looked pained as he rubbed at his hip. "You should kiss it better, Potter."

Harry pursed his lip to keep his amused smirk hidden. "You're worst than the twins, and that's saying something."

Draco frowned, looking like he really was insulted. "You hurt me."

"Good. Now what are you doing lurking in the halls like some house elf when you should be mingling with all the snobby lords and ladies downstairs."

Raising a teasing brow, Draco leaned in closer until Harry could see the inner rim of sapphire blue before it faded to grey in Draco's eyes. "Apparently corralling in two Potter brats."

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "You forget Tom is their sire."

"Forgive my treasonous thoughts then, but that's even more terrifying."

Harry chuckled softly. "Try surviving them. I had to take away Tom's wand that one day he was babysitting them. I think the only one they really listen to is Severus."

The taller, blonde man pulled back a bit making Harry realize just how close they had been. "And how is….Lord Voldemort, with Orion?" He asked with silted suspicion.

Harry frowned. Tom had been normal with Orion after the library incident. Distant but always knowledgeable about every detail through his death eater guards and the house elves. There was still no fallout from Orion being a squib. "He's been like he was with the others." He finally said neutrally.

A slight twitch gave away Draco's shifting emotions. "You mean distant and barely there. You've look absolutely exhausted. I keep telling you Potter, you're a wizard not a bloody muggle. Use Dobby or Sqwill or the hundred other house elves to look after Orion." Draco ended his rant with hands thrown up in the air, losing some of his Malfoy composure.

Harry held back a snort of amusement. Draco was still a pompous prat. He considered it a success that he'd gotten Draco to stop saying mudblood. "In one sentence you condemn Tom for not being involved and in the other you condemn me for being too involved. And when are you going to get out of the habit of calling me Potter? You've seen me give birth for Merlins sake."

"Would you rather that I call you Scarhead again," he asked caustically, completely disregarding Harry's first comment.

Harry's eyes glinted in mischief. "Not if you like walking on two feet, Ferret."

Growling playfully, Draco bent his head until his slicked back strands touched teasingly against Harry's wild mess of a birds nest hair. Harry, never one to back down, peered up at the taller wizard through sooty black lashes. For just a second, Draco's breath stuttered to a stop as those completely oblivious eyes, as dangerously green as the killing curse, looked at him expectantly.

"Ferrets bite you know." His voice had dropped an octave, his body moving closer to Harry's. Frowning just a bit, Harry pressed his hands to Draco's chest to push him back. He didn't like so much of his private space being invaded.

"Um, mom? Are…are you busy?"

Both Harry and Draco broke away quickly and put an appropriate distance between themselves. Harry smiled nervously at Alfred, who looked suspiciously between the two adults. Draco schooled his features into a neutral smile.

"Oh, no, love. Draco and I were just discussing how rude it is to be name calling."

Alfred nodded but still looked guarded. "Lord Malfoy," he greeted shyly.

"Alfred, no need for the formalities. Especially given how close our families are, and will be." Draco gently admonished.

Alfred flushed, although there was no hidden inflection in the blondes words. Harry noticed though and smiled. He knew of his child small romance with Draco's son Scorpius. The boys had been inseparable since they had met in their first play date at five and seven. They had done everything together, becoming each other's shadows. Alfred had been heartbroken and wailing into Harry's neck when he'd been sorted into Hufflepuff. Not only was he the only one in the family to be sorted into that house, but Scorpius had of course followed in the footsteps of his ancestors and been sorted into Slytherin. Alfred hadn't been afraid of atoms reaction, no he'd been more scared of Scorpius hating him. Of course that hadn't happened and the boys had only grown closer despite the house rivalry. From Lily, Harry enjoyed the stories of how the two boys blatantly disregarded the house rivalry and studied with each other in the Hufflepuff commons room or relaxed in the Slytherin dungeons and cheered for both quiditch teams or wore each other's house pins. It was adorable.

"Speaking of families, you did bring Scorpius right? I'm sure the boys would like to see each other." Harry winked at Alfred, who just blushed harder and scrunched his shoulders into himself.

Draco didn't miss the blush either and laughed. "Scorpius almost snapped at Astoria for taking to long to get ready. He's downstairs looking around for you."

Alfred's green eyes went wide but he looked extraordinarily pleased. "Really? Me?" At Draco's nod, Alfred barely kept his pleased squeak in check. He grabbed for Harrys wrist and pulled him towards his chambers. "Mom, you have to help me get ready! We'll see you later, uncle Draco."

Harry sent Draco a shrug over his shoulder as he was bodily pulled and Draco tipped his head in amusement. Usually Alfred wasn't so abrupt with anyone, almost painfully polite. So it was heartening to see Alfred loose his composure and all over a boy. His Alfred was finally being normal. And as a wizard who'd had his entire childhood stolen, that was the best gift Harry could have gotten. To see his children concerned over normal teenage stuff, stressing about getting good grades over class assignments, going crazy hormonal over romantic interests, becoming obsessed over house completion and quiditch…now those were the only things he wanted his kids concerned over. Not defeating megalomaniacs and surviving werewolves, death eaters, and dragons.

He wove his arms through Alfred as the boy led him past his chambers and down the long hall upstairs to Alfred's room. "So have you two kissed yet?"

"Mom!" Alfred was positively scandalized.

"What?" Harry chuckled. A rite of passage for a parent was embarrassing their kids. With Salazar, he hadn't been given the he chance. Hadrian took pride in all his follies so it was hard to embarrass him. He'd had a little success with James and Lily was a master at keeping secrets, much like her Sire. But Alfred was as open as a book. "You're thirteen years old! I was thirteen once you know."

"But it's different." Alfred whined. "Scorpius is, well, he's just so very-ugh, mom will you stop teasing me?" He looked defeated. Harry shook his head and pushed them inside the boys room. It was decorated in soft tones of blue, dark cherrywood and grey accents. Moving pictures of the entire family were spread throughout the room. A few Hufflepuff flags and badges decorated the room in tribute to Alfred's house. But there was also some Slytherin posters and a Slytherin scarf.

"Will you help me pick out an outfit?" Something that Scorpius would love went unsaid but Harry smiled softly and nodded. They both rummaged through Alfred's expansive closet, filled to the brim with the most fashionable clothes in the most expensive fabric and best cuts. Almost all of it was custom made by the Riddle family's personal tailor. Exotic leathers and furs given to them as tribute lined the clothes, made up the jackets and boots. There weren't enough days in the year to exhaust the choice of clothes worn. It made Harry extraordinarily happy to see the excess.

Growing up with so little, he hadn't particularly cared if he was properly clothed when he barely had any crumbs to fill his stomach. He remembered the Yule ball. It it had been the first time he'd ever worn new, and nice clothes not meant to be worn as school robes. Although he'd deeply loved the handmade sweaters by Mrs. Weasley, and though they had far more worth than any clothing, Harry had none the less been helpless not to appreciate how the precise cut of the clothes formed to his body. For the first time he'd looked like Lord Potter.

Now of course, his wardrobe put all of his children's put together to shame. As much as Tom denied him freedom, it seemed the man thought lavishing him with jewels and clothes would compensate. His gilded cage was stunning with all the creature comforts but none of the warmth. And like a prized bird with his wings clipped, Harry was left to waste away.

Harry watched Alfred happily try on a deep green and silver robe with stark white britches, he hoped his son would get to kiss the boy he liked, feel passion free of shame and disgust. Be everything he was not. He smoothed the robes over Alfred's slim shoulders.

"You look very handsome." Alfred smiled, scrunching his shoulder in pleasure.

"Really?"

"Really."

Alfred turned. "Mum…"

"Yes, love?"

"Did you always like uncle Draco?"

Harry blinked. What an odd question. "I loathed the prat the moment he sneered down at me." Alfred giggled at the blunt answer.

"Then how did you you two become best friends?"

Now that hurt. Harry began to shake his head. No, Draco couldn't possibly be his best friend. Ron, Hermione…the golden trio. But the children didn't know them. The Weasley were a distant pureblood family the Riddles rarely interacted with. Instead, his children called Draco uncle, their godparents were Severus and the Lestrange brothers. And their godmother, Bellatrix Lestrange had been killed by Hermione, someone Harry had thought would be with him for the rest of his life. Perhaps, if things turned out differently, Hermione would have been the godmother to his children.

"We're…I wouldn't say we're best friends. We were school rivals and then after, he was there when I had no one else. He's…someone very special to me, but I have-had best friends. They were wonderful wizards. One of them was a brilliant witch, the best in all of my classes. If she had not been there ready with her annoying and endless facts, then I would have failed potions. And your godfather would have had my hide." Harry accioed a comb with his wand and began trying to tame Alfred's hair, identical to his own. "And my other friend, he was the one who finally made feel like part of a family. We did everything together. And his family, they became mine. We were brothers." Harry didn't often think about them voluntarily, the memories too painful. They'd been one of the best parts of Hogwarts. That's what made their betrayal all the more devastating.

"Well, what happened to them? Why aren't you friends with them anymore?" Alfred frowned, his head titling just so in the exact same angle Tom's did when the man was looking at something particularly confusing. Usually, it was aimed at Harry when he did something mind boggling like change Orion by hand or play those muggle video games with the twins.

With a shrug, Harry banished his memories back into the farthest recesses of his mind. "I guess we grew up into different people." They fought for the light, and Harry fought for himself. Never would he have imagined that those things didn't have the same priorities.

"Do you-do you think Scorpius and I will grow apart? We spend so little time as it is and he always gets teased for hanging out with a Hufflepuff," the teen admitted on a dejected sigh.

Curling his arms around his son, Harry hugged him tight. "No, love. As long as you two work on it and remember how much you love each other through the bad, then you'll always be together." He wasn't really thinking about Alfred and Scorpius as he said it.

"Mom!" The teen pulled away, huffing in embarrassment. "We don't love each other! We haven't even kissed!"

"But you want to."

"Mom!"

Harry chuckled at his sons screech and decided the teen had enough torture. Plus, once he went downstairs and actually went off searching for Scorpius like a moth drawn to fire, his siblings would start in on the teasing. He reminded himself to keep an eye on Tom for his reaction to Alfred and Scorpius. So far the dark wizard had a grudging tolerance towards Scorpius; it was anyone's guess if that woudo change or what it woudo change to when he realized the blonde oh had romantic feelings for his son.

Harry helped put the finishing touches to Alfred's look, trying up his cravat and helping him into his black snakeskin boots. He looked unbearably handsome, so bright and happy. With green eyes sparkling and almost chomping at the bit to get downstairs, Harry gave him one last kiss and told him he was ready.

With Alfred's hand resting one the handle, he suddenly stilled and turned. "Mom, how did you and dad meet? I know how you meet uncle Draco, and godfather and uncle Rabastan and Rudolphus were your first guards and Fenrir saved you from the Order members but I don't think I've heard the story about dad."

The teen was too young to see the falseness in Harry's tight smile. "You know the story, love. He was the leader of the Knights of Walpurgis and fought against the Order of the Phoenix. I was their hostage and your father –saved- me." Now that was stretching the truth a bit too much.

"Yes, but that's just the summary version. But how did you two fall in love, why were you a hostage, what did-"

"Alfred, that's a very long story and we have a ball to get to. I'll tell you later." He had absolutely no intention of telling him anything but he needed this conversation to be over with. It was laughable to think anyone thought his relationship with Tom had anything to do with love. But he couldn't fault Alfred for his rosy outlook. He was flying high on his first crush, perhaps looking to his parents for an example. And Harry would not be the one to shatter that illusion. He knew how soothing some illusions could be. Sometimes they were the only things worth living for.

"You promise?" Identical green eyes met and Harry's face softened.

"Of course. But not tonight." Not ever, Harry thought.

Alfred gave Harry one more dimpled smile before leaving the room. Harry followed after him, having to get ready himself. He pushed his dark thoughts out of mind when he was almost jumped by Cerise demanding attention. Lily was impatient to get him ready, ready to play dolls but using him instead. Harry let himself be pulled and prodded by them, letting them push back all the misgivings threatening to drown him.


	5. Chapter 5

The ballroom was straight out of a fairytale. In addition to the gargantuan crystal chandelier in the middle of the ballroom ceiling and the smaller ones spread over the large area, floating lights danced over the heads of the mingling guest. Tiny pixies in the Slytherin colors twittered about. An entire orchestra stood off to one side of the room to provide live music while a sound transferring spell let the guests sway gently to the singing of mermaids. The Slytherin Palace boasted large gardens that were temporarily opened to a select few during the coming week. There was large lake, containing many exotic creatures and one of the species happened to be mermaids. They'd been commissioned to sing for the evening, just as a tease to the main event they would star in in a few days. There were even a few sirens but Tom didn't want the entirety of his thousand or so guests to go crazed over the creatures. It was mostly for their benefit anyways; the sirens were carnivorous and there was no sweeter flesh to them than human flesh. Tom himself had fed a few of his enemies to the beautiful creatures. They put on quite a show.

An entire legion of veelas flittered throughout the room. It had been Harry who'd suggested having them there to diffuse tension. There were leaders and ambassadors from different countries who were at war with each other so things were bound to get volatile very easily. Hence the veelas. They charmed and entranced the guests who were more than happy to fall captive under their enticing charms. Plus, they were looser with their tongues; the veelas were under strict order to keep note of pertinent information.

Death eaters were stationed at equal intervals throughout the room. Tom could have disillusioned them but he wanted the men and women to not only feel but see the scope of his power. As a further precaution, he had dementors floating just outside the shields of the palace. Not to mention all the "exotic" creatures surrounding the palace grounds were all trained to protect and serve the Riddle Family. Centaurs, threshalls, hippogriffs and even a few thought to be extinct creatures. Among them Fenrir Greyback's pack of werewolves roamed the grounds. But only the Alpha had agreed to attend the festivities while the rest of his men served as guards.

The guest had all been warned of their presence but there was no such thing as being extra vigilant over his family.

Tom looked over the guests from a hidden balcony overlooking the ballroom, Fenrir Greyback at his side. A floating tray of hor d'oeuvres floated up to them and the werewolf gleefully grabbed up all that was on the tray in one giant, clawed hand. Tom watched with fascinated disgust as the large man opened his mouth impossibly wide and gobbled it all in one bite.

"The hell you looking at me for, Voldy?" Fenrir munched and swallowed before licking his sharp teeth.

Tom sneered. How many times had he crucio'd the animal for calling him that? Ah yes, countless but unfortunately the beast had a thick hide and an even thicker head. "When Harry asks why I'm green in the face, I'll show him this memory."

"How's the little kid? What number is this baby, the seventh one? Let the boy rest a bit. I see him swollen with a pup or carrying a different on his hip every year. Even our bitches get some down time after a litter."

Gritting his teeth, Tom wondered why he even bothered with the mutt. Then he remembered it was all Harry's fault. He seemed to have the oddest habit of befriending the most aggravating people. Draco Malfoy was another example.

"Harry is perfectly fine." He said tightly. The larger man chuckled beside him.

"The little wife mad at you? Is Voldy in the dog house?" Fenrir barely finished the sentence before he felt a burning pain around his throat. Clutching at his throat, he hissed and pulled away when his fingers also got burned. Tom looked on in disinterest as the were fell heavily to the floor on his knee, the bones cracking painfully under the heavy mans weight. A quick silencing charm kept the growl from reaching the ears of the people downstairs.

Tom muttered the counter charm when the smell of burning flesh began to offend his nose. The silver quickly dissipated from around Fenrir's throat. The silver charm always worked like a dream on werewolves.

"Stop using dog euphemisms for Harry." He was disgruntled to see the werewolves fast healing already as work smoothing over the mangled skin around Fenrir's throat and hands. The man hacked weakly but when he looked up at the Dark Lord, he had a wide grin on his face.

"Did some real stupid shit didn't you, Tommy boy?"

Tom raised his wand threateningly when Fenrir shook his head and tapped a clawed finger to his nose. "Uh-uh, wouldn't do that. Wifeys coming this way."

And just as the wolf predicted, Harry pulled open the closed door and poked his head inside. A slight frown marred his face as he looked down at the still recovering wolf and an impassive Tom. With a long suffering sigh, Harry slipped inside the room and knelt beside Fenrir.

"And just what did you say to Tom to piss him off this time?" Harry chided. He rooted inside his robe pockets, a look of intense concentration over his face.

"Didn't do nothing, your husbands just got a hair trigger, just can't control himself," Fenrir snickered, or tried to but ended up hacking. Perhaps Tom got lucky this time and actually damaged the mutts vocal muscles. If only fate were so generous.

Harry ignored the husband comment. With a triumphant "aha", he pulled out a small vial. Ever since the twins could crawl, Harry had taken to always keeping a small arsenal of medicine and antidotes on his person. Ditanty was a potion Harry ran out of almost on a monthly basis, and that was saying something since a standard issue bottle usually lasted years for the average wizard. He took the small dropper out of the murky brown bottle. "Head up," he commanded. When Fenrir exposed his throat, Harry used the dropper to administer the liquid around the wound then moved onto Fenrirs hands. "Be that as it may, I expect better from you."

The burned skin instantly knit back together, not even a hint of pink lingering to show the skins damage. The were stretched his neck this way and that, as if testing the new skins elasticity.

"But not your hubby eh? Too much in love to see his faults?" The mutt was grinning wide at him as Harry continued to inspect his neck for any lingering damage. Satisfied that the were was fully healed, Harry made to get up when Tom offered the boy his hand. Harry startled at the offer, his wide eyes moving slowly up from the proffered hand to his face then back down again as if in disbelief. Tom bit back a scathing retort but kept his hand outstretched. The boy hadn't touched him voluntarily since that night….which in hindsight might have been a tiny mistake. Even he could admit he'd acted out of haste. Perhaps if he had waited, had patience, then the boy might have eventually come to him as was his duty.

Harry gingerly took his hand and let Tom help him up. But as soon as he was on his two feet, he snatched his hands back and hid them in his robes. Tom bit back a growl. One, he didn't need more reason for Harry to be wary of him and two, he absolutely did not need Fenrir to go on about how Tom was slowly becoming a werewolf with all his growling and teeth baring.

"Is Teddy here?" Again, Harry ignored Fenrir. It seemed to be an effective method.

The wolfs eyes grew fond at the mention of his ward. "Yep, last I saw he was off with one of your pups."

"James? Oh good, he has missed Teddy so. They haven't seen each other in ages."

Fenrir looked confused and scratched his his head. The mutt probably had fleas, Tom thought mulishly.

"The moody one? You get yourself bred so many times it's hard to keep up with your brood."

Harry huffed and shot Tom a side glare. "Well, you can thank your dark lord for my brood. And don't call my children brood." Fenrir opened his mouth, probably to argue that Harry had just called them brood but Tom shook his head. The mutt took the hint graciously and instead grinned wide. Why he bothered to even help the wolf was beyond him.

"Yah, James probably. What's up the boys ass, barely even spoke to me 'fore dragging Teddy away."

"Oh that. I suppose he's still cross at us." At Fenrir's raised brow, Harry continued. "During the summer, he was scouted to play for the Chuddly Cannons but they wanted him to start this year. James wanted to drop out of Hogwarts altogether and become their seeker."

Tom remembered the argument. It had been the biggest row between James and Harry, although there were many to choose from. James had been ready to leave the Riddle manor altogether when Tom had stupefied him and kept him confined to the manor. Then Harry had turned on him but the few days of forced captivity had calmed James a bit. It hadn't lessened the resentment he'd felt towards his parents. Tom still didn't understand why the boy was so angry. James could still play after he was finished with school. Not to mention quiditch was a useless game.

Fenrir huffed. "Never set a foot at Hogwarts and look how I turned out, fancy clothes at a fancy party with a fancy partner on my arms." The wolf, for how big the man was, moved smoothly and caught Harry's waist as he swung the smaller wizard under his arm. He leered down at Harry, completely ignoring Tom's murderous scowl. Harry allowed a small smirk.

Harry looked up and down Fenrir's garish wardrobe. The man stood tall with his wild hair slicked back with a velvet black thong. He wore a black velvet print shirt and a deep burgundy coat over top, the stitches struggling to stretch over the mass of muscles. Matching burgundy trousers and dragon hide boots completed the ensemble. Harry reaches out and straightened out a large flower pinned to Fenrir's lapel. The man certainly liked his colors.

"Er, yes fancy clothes." He said dubiously with the slightest nose tilt. "But look at who your boss is," Harry nodded teasingly at Tom, although his eyes were on Fenrir.

"We all got our vices, what's yours pup?"

Tom had had enough. He grabbed Harry's wrist and forcefully tugged him back to him, keeping the boy shackled to his side with an implacable arm around his waist. "Me. Now get back to work." He let his eyes flash red to know that he would not tolerate any more teasing. But of course the blasted mutt had no sense of self preservation. The were looked at Harry with an arched brow and only when Harry gave him a small nod did Fenrir grin back at Tom. He bent easily and graced them with an exaggerated bow before loping off to his duties. Which was mainly to show off his canines to all of Tom's allies and enemies. Fear of wolves seemed to be universal.

"You can let go of me now." Any of the warmth that Harry had shown Fenrir vanished and Tom was left holding an ice statue. He let go. Harry took a few prudent steps away from him and brushed his hands over his robes to smooth down nonexistent wrinkles.

He wore the Slytherin colors but with gold accents. His shirt and trousers were a matching cream color with a an embroidered gold waistcoat. A velvet green robe that almost matched the vibrancy of the wizard's eyes complemented the colors.

"You look lovely." Tom said honestly.

"Thank you. You do as well. I mean you look good too." Harry still wouldn't meet his eyes. Around the children and company, Harry acted as normal as possible but in private, conversation was stilted.

Tom reached for Harry's hand again. "Harry-"

Harry swung his limb out of reach and glared at him. "You don't get to touch me Tom." He quickly opened the door and left. Tom was only left with a hint of lemongrass lingering in the air.

…

Sometimes being a death eater had its benefits.

Draco Malfoy sipped his glass of very expensive champagne, a brand imported from the Malfoy branch in France. Due to his position in the Dark Lords inner circle, he'd been able to expand his cousins wine business, of which he had a large share in and use his connections to expand into England. Of course Harry was suggestive to all his input so the winery got mass business from the Riddles and free publicity too.

He also owned a construction firm that had been hired to restore all of Harrys properties, then the Riddle manor and most recently the Slytherin Palace, the firms biggest project up to date. He also used his position to get many of the ministry contracts for public buildings, putting his stamp all over the UK.

Not to mention his franchise of apothecaries and his spell warding firm. But that just just a small chunk in addition to the vast empire Lucius Malfoy had built and was slowly integrating Draco to lead. He was in his own right, one of the most powerful men in the country, perhaps in the world.

But he would never be the most powerful. Just like at Hogwarts, he had never been the highest achieving student in the entire school nor had he been the greatest seeker.

He took another sip and watched Harry enter the ball room, instantly becoming the center of attention as always. In many ways nothing had changed. Harry was a darling Prince among his adoring fans. He didn't even have to open his mouth to get men and women falling over themselves.

And in other ways, everything had changed.

Voldemorts cool glare kept the other guests at a distance as he took his place besides Harry. Harry's slave collar gleamed under the brilliant lights, the green gems of the snakes eyes flashing. And if that wasn't enough of a stamp of the man's ownership, Voldemort's arm stayed anchored around the younger man's waist.

Only Draco noticed the slight stiffening in Harry's body, the brittleness of his smile. And it was times like these that being a death eater bloody well sucked. It was fucking torture. To be a bystander as he watched a pretty exotic bird being torn in two by a ruthless snake was hell. And he wasn't even helpless. He could stop it at anytime, he knew. But he needed time to make sure that he got all he deserved when he ended this ridiculous farce.

He turned his back on the couple and was fortunate enough to see his son and Alfred sneak away outside, but not without four death eaters following surreptitiously. He knew his son was aware and wouldn't do anything too scandalous but he doubted Alfred even suspected they were being followed.

"Astoria, I'm going to get a refill." He barely glanced at his wife, who had been chattering away with a nameless couple.

The lovely dark haired witch clenched her teeth but said nothing, too used to him leaving her at all times. He ignored the flash of hurt in her ice blue eyes. She plastered a serene smiled on her face and nodded. "Of course darling, and could you get me a glass as well?" She asked politely.

There were floating trays all over the room with drinks and hor d'oeuvres. But he supposed she had to keep her face in front of the other couple. They were very similar people that way, too concerned about keeping appearances. It had cost him the greatest treasure in his life.

"Of course, excuse me." Draco inclined his head and went in the opposite direction of the long table laden with additional food. Immaculate house elves in the Slytherin colors stood at the ready to serve the guests.

He slipped through the balcony doors outside to the stone veranda. Beyond lay the extensive gardens. He looked at one of the death eaters lining the entire perimeter of the veranda. Without words, the man knew what he wanted and nodded towards a small gazebo where Draco saw a few more death eaters standing with their backs turned. They were at a safe distance, too far to hear Alfred or Scorpius but close enough to protect them in case of an attack, be that from an outsider or Scorpius himself.

He nodded at the other death eaters, who acknowledged him respectfully. He could see why Voldemort had wanted so much power, this obeisance was addicting.

Draco moved closer and cast a notice me not spell on himself, as well as a muffling charm on his body. He pressed right up to one of the gazebo columns, the inside obscured by tangled vines surrounding the small enclosure. But through a small opening of greenery, Draco spied Alfred and Scorpius sitting on the floor side by side. He quickly broke through Scorpius's sloppy casting of the muffilato spell –he needed to teach the boy better- and enhanced their quiet mumblings for his ears.

"…really glad you came," Alfred murmured, looking up at Scorpius through his thick lashes. He was unknowing copying Harry when the older wizard acted shy. Draco clenched his fist in envy.

Scorpius winked, making the green eyed teen blush. "I had to come, you're here. I haven't seen you in ages!" He moved his face closer to Alfred's, his lips teasingly brushing against Alfred's cheek.

Giggling, Alfred pushed him away just a few inches. "You saw me a week ago on the platform!"

"Exactly! An entire week. Have no sympathy for my plight?"

Alfred scoffed at his flowery words. "Uh-huh, and where did you learn that line?"

Grinning, Scorpius swooped down and placed a fast kiss on Alfred's burning cheeks. "I'll have you know I worked on that for ages. You should give me a reward."

Instead of pushing him away this time, Alfred let his hands creep up Scorpius's chest to curl his slender fingers over his shoulders.

"And what would my chivalrous suitor like?" His words were teasing, but Alfred's voice trembled with barely suppressed want.

The blond teen showed him, pressing down to capture Alfred's red lips in a sweet kiss. The boy gasped under Scorpius's gentle assault, opening his mouth to the other boys persistent lips. Draco felt like a voyeur watching them. They deserved some privacy for this intimate moment, not half a dozen death eaters feets away and another lurking beyond the vines. But he was helpless to look away.

His only son was an exact replica of himself at the age, it was uncanny. Scorpius had inherited none of Astoria's features. And Alfred could be Harry's twin, with the same wind tussled hair and moss green eyes. The only thing missing was the scar, but other than that it could have looked like Draco and Harry kissing almost a quarter of a century ago.

"Sir."

Draco snapped himself from his thoughts and turns to see a cowed death eater. He barked "What?"

The other man gulped. "Um, the dark lord is calling for his children for the little lords presenting ceremony."

Draco gave the man a curt nod, clearly dismissing him. "I'll escort them over." He glared at the man until he went back to his post. Draco turned back just in time to see the two boys break apart.

"Oh, I feel father calling. It must be time to officially present Orion." Alfred panted against Scorpius's chest, his eyes dreamy and glazed.

The blonde mumbled something unintelligible against Alfred's lips and continued to nibble on the swollen skin.

Alfred whined and pulled Scorpius closer. "Scorpio!"

Placing one last kiss on Alfred's nose, Scorpius helped the teen up. Alfred leaned heavily on him, and the blonde wizard let him as they walked slowly out of the gazebo. Draco signaled for the other death eaters to fall back and they disappeared from sight like grey smoke. He waited until the couple was a few steps ahead of him before he followed at a safe distance.

"I hope we can be like my mother and father."

Scorpius jolted and almost missed a step. "Really?" The boy couldn't help the skepticism in his voice. After all, Draco had told his son everything. His plan hinged a lot on his son, so the boy needed to know every gritty detail. But he'd warned his son never to reveal what he knew to Alfred. That would ruin everything he'd worked all these years for.

"Yes, really. Father is always so protective of mom and when he works too long and forgets to eat, mom always brings him food. And when he's working too much, mom even sends howlers to get him back home which father does and he always has his arms around mom. I think it's so romantic."

Scorpius nodded with a neutral smile. "That does sound nice. But don't they fight?"

Alfred bit his lip and looked away. "Well sometimes but all couples do. But they always make up and kiss and father gives mom a new broom or even those muggle games he likes to play."

The blond boy raised an impressed brow. "Woah, you know that's love when the darkest lord of all time goes out to buy a muggle game. What was it, Monopoly? Scrabble?"

Alfred made an annoyed sound but he had a hard time hiding his smile. "Oh, stop it! And I think it was something called Overwatch, that or the The Last of Us, I don't really remember which one was the last game. But mom and the twins spent an entire weekend playing that game and only stopped because the twins had to go back to school. Even James joined in. Mom tried to get me to play too but I'm absolute rubbish at it."

"Blasphemy! You're the most perfect person I know. A saint, a paragon! You're physically incapable of being rubbish at anything."

"Really, even kissing?" Two could play at this game.

Scorpius lost that teasing glint in his eye, his breath quickening. He licked his suddenly dry lips. "Maybe not, we should practice more so you can be perfect at kissing." He leaned down, almost to Alfred's lips but when he was just a few inches away Alfred pushed him back and flew towards the muffled voices coming from the ball. Scorpius fell on his ass, watching the green eyed boy with hungry eyes as he scampered away with laughter.

Draco walked over to his son and thrust his hand in front of his sons face, blocking his view of the long gone Alfred, who'd slipped back inside the ball with narry a glance back.

Scorpius took the hand and let his father pull him up. He didn't seem surprised that Draco had followed him. He cast a cleaning charm over himself to get any grass stains or dirt off his clothes.

"Have fun?" Draco asked. He was genuinely curious, and just a bit envious.

Scorpius shrugged. He put his stoic Malfoy mask back on, one both Draco and Lucius had helped perfect. "Alfred wanted to talk."

"Yes, I saw you talking." Draco put much inflection on the last word. His son didn't look shamed that his father had seen him kiss Alfred. His face looked even more closed off.

"It's what you wanted me to do."

"I never asked. Do you actually want to do what I asked of you? Do you like Alfred?" When Draco had first suggested Scorpius pursue Alfred romantically, he'd thought his son would be ecstatic. The boys were already close friends and seemed like a natural progression from that relationship. Had Draco been in Scorpius's shoes and the other big had been Harry, he wouldn't have even been need to told. But no matter how much Scorpius looked like him, the teen was not his father.

Again, the teen shrugged. Draco would have to teach the boy Malfoy's did not shrug. They scoffed disdainfully.

"Does it really matter?"

"No." In the grand scheme of things, it really didn't. When Draco got what he wanted, he'd fix everything. Alfred would be okay, the boy would forgive him just like Harry. They were so much alike. After everything was done, Harry and his children would thank him.

Father and son went back in. The presentation ceremony had just started as Voldemort read out Orion's full name, casting the spell to put the familial wards of protection over the youngest Riddle. Harry beamed at his child, his body completely relaxed even as he stood in the arms of the dark lord. His children all stood behind them, a stunning family of powerful wizards.

Cheers went up in the crowd, some happy and some false. Flashes went off as the rabid press struggled to get a good angle. They were all so photogenic, so perfect, the ideal aristocratic wizard family. The inner circle of death eaters stood behind with their families. The Malfoys, the Lestranges, the Parkinsons, Greyback, Crouch Jr. , the Carrows, and even Snape who had his hands firmly clasped over each of the squirming twin's shoulders. Not even his staple brooding scowl could ruin the picture of the most powerful and influential wizards of the country.

And if all went according to plans, in a few years it would be the exact same only Draco would be standing in Voldemorts place.

Harry looked over the crowd, smiling at them graciously. And for a brief moment, his eyes met with Draco's silver ones. They softened and Harry's smile got just a bit brighter before he looked over to the other guests.

It was small moments like these, almost getting lost in a the stormy sea that let him know all his efforts were worth it. This was the very reason he'd taken the dark mark, why he'd gone undercover in Hogwarts and tried to kill Dumbledore, why he'd built up his own empire.

For Harry.

…...

The Tragedy of the Century

Dear readers, this author who brought you the real story behind Albus Dumbledore and covered the Second Great War brings to you, the wonderful readers the greatest story of love, betrayal, and intrigue of this century.

For the past thirty years the Riddles have been a shining jewel for the UK. The Dark Lord, purported to be even more powerful than Merlin and with the boy who lived by his side, none could withstand their power. It is almost overwhelming.

And here in the newly renovated Slytherin Palace this humble journalist stands, an honored guest. So many powerful witches and wizards stand here beside me. Even with all the royals the powerful leaders, and the exotic creatures amassed in the room all eyes are following the Riddle family. It isn't even that they are all blessed with remarkable looks. It is their power.

But one of them, as you well know when I broke the story first falls short. Orion Remus Riddle, the reason for this party. Born a squib and named after an known order member and werewolf, he comes into a family full of secrets.

But fear no more, for this authors duty to her loyal readers is to share what she has found.

No one could have suspected that the dark lord could have built such a strong empire. We had never doubted the wizard would overtake the government but we all thought he would destroy it. The ministry had been torn down and built again, this time reaching higher that the previous government. At first the dark lord had outed the majority of muggle borns until curiously, throughout half of his reign he allowed the muggles back into society. He enacted an education program for muggle born witches and wizards that started when they were of preschool age. That way pureblood traditions were taught to them, celebrations like yule and Samhain which were typically overshadowed by muggle holidays Christmas and Halloween. Even more surprising, orphanages had been set by by the riddle private fund for children who'd been abandoned by their parents for their gifts. This author has it on good authority and from a secret source that it was all influenced by Lord Harry.

The increased education lessened the stigma on muggles and the population thrived. Yes, there were less pure bloods and more half bloods but recent research had reveled inbreeding weakened the magical core. Mixture of blood added new heritage to a person and allowed the wizard to tap into an entire new branch of family magic, even if it was a muggle bloodline.

And while the new government had been harsh on muggles for the first few years, it had been more tolerant of the dark creatures. They gained equal rights and were able to mingle within society and even work. Economy was thriving with the new changes. And Lord Voldemort's new foreign policies were aiming to open the different magical communities to each other, although some did oppose to his tactics. Many have allied with our great lord. But other like Russia, the U.S. and China still resist although this author predicts they too shall fall under Lord Voldemorts rule.

It sounds like a golden era, being ushering in by the riddles. But what did the dark lord do to get all this power. How has he not died despite numerous attempts, some successful even. A very credible source has revealed to me only that the lord is immortal.

That's right, immortal. How else does he continue to escape deaths deadly grasp.

But what gave him immortality. And this author has it on good authority that Lord Harry is also immortal. How?

We have all been told Lord Voldemort captured Lord Harry in the graveyard. The order suspected the dark wizard turned Harry against them but how? Why did Harry go over to the dark side? Why did he turn his back on the golden trio, a Mr. Ronald Weasley and a Ms. Hermione Granger? This author has an exclusive interview with one of the Weasleys about this very controversial subject.

We have been told that the order stole back Lord Harry when the boy was sixteen to save him, after they attacked the Riddle manor in the middle of Lord Salazar's birth. This journalist remembers those tumultuous years, when we all though the orders raid had killed baby Salazar, the heir to the Slytherin line.

The dark lord told the public the order had killed his son and taken Harry away to kill him too. And for seven years, we thought Harry had been killed. Hogwarts fell to lord Voldemort, and he went after Dumbledore. With his death we discovered Harry was alive and well. That wasn't the only surprise, Salazar too was alive. The dark lord had hidden him for his safety and finally parent and child were reunited after seven years.

This author was first one who revealed the treachery of the Order, who kept Lord Harry imprisoned and away from his son. They took Harry's wealth to fuel their ill fated organizations, which this author also reported on.

But what a lot of people don't know is that Lord Harry was even abused as a child by his own muggle family. They don't know that it was overlooked by Dumbledore and the Order. An exclusive interview with Hogwarts nurse Poppy Pomphrey reveals everything about Lord Harry's personal medical files before and during Hogwarts.

People don't know that he was also abused by our dark lord when he was captured. This author has included clips and pictures taken from the memory of an anonymous source in my book.

If you have been shocked by any of the things I've mentioned, then be prepared for more. Because this doesn't even cover half of what I have found through my extensive and century long investigation. There are even dark secrets the Riddles don't want you to know. For example, the most dangerous Riddle isn't Lord Voldemort but one of his children! And there is something suspicious Lord Harry is hiding from Lord Voldemort!

But fear not. This author will reveal all the dirty sordid details of the life of the boy we know as the boy who lived.

So dear readers, pick up a copy of my newest book The Making of a Tragedy: The Saga of the Boy Who Lived from Birth to Present to hear the sorry tale of Harry Potter.

Ever humbly serving the Wizarding public,

Rita Skeeter

The magical quill finished up the last sentence with a flourish even as Rita watched the Riddles play host in the middle of the room. The quill wrote on a parchment that directly send all the notations to the Daily Prophet's publication room. The front page article would be the first thing witches and wizards saw during their morning cup of tea tomorrow. Just in time for the release of her newest book. And she had the perfect picture too, to go along with the article.

With a feline smirk, she pushed up her glasses. This expose on Harry Potter was going to be her greatest yet, even bigger than the one on Dumbledore. This was going to make her a household name all over Eurasia and the Americas!


	6. Chapter 6

So first of all I had a wonderful reader volunteer to take on being my beta. Can we just have a round of applause please because trust me, my unedited stuff is horrendous and even though she says she doesn't mind I still don't believe her and am in awe of her. So hopefully from now on all my chapters for this story will be betad by mangoarcher1802 . And the names for the Chinese minister and his wife were suggested to me by Y KMust , so applause goes to her too :). This chapter is dedicated to the the readers who requested a little vomit and a little violence, so I hope they like it. (P.s. Don't worry, this is just the appetizer, more detailed gore and hands on torture to come, just couldn't fit it into this chapter.

Also, you'll see I borrowed a line from suicide squad, lol, three guesses who tom is channeling from the suicide squad.

So ah warning for mild gore in case you guys aren't into that. It's only two paragraphs but those of you who like more, I'm writing a full length torture scene.

W.A.N.D.S., toads, and dancing

Chapter 6

The dark lord stood tall and proud, surrounded by his inner circle with world leaders vying for his favor. But his eyes followed Harry as the infamous wizard smiled and chatted with the other guests and their partners. No matter Harry's position, no one could deny the wizard was powerful. He would have to be to be able to survive the Dark Lord for as many years as he had. His tore his eyes from his object of obsession and looked around the room for his children.

Salazar, almost as intimidating as his father with none of his mother's charm, was doing his duty as the heir apparent to the Slytherin line. With the same hooded eyes and chiseled cheeks of his father, he made a circuit around the room making sure to talk to the leaders he'd been in contact with for the past few months.

Hadrian, who seemed to get all the charm Salazar lacked intimidated as easily as he bewitched with his quick smile and even quicker wit. He led Harry around on his arm as they mingled with their guests. Occasionally, their heads would meet and they would share conspiratorial whispers. There was an easy camaraderie between that sometimes Tom envied. Especially when Harry was giving him the cold shoulder.

A few of the guests glanced nervously over the third son who stayed close to Teddy, the godson of Harry Potter. It's was probably due to the fact that many thought Teddy was Fenrir's biological son. After Remus Lupin's death during the Second Great War, his son had been given to Fenrir since he had bitten and sired Remus. Since Nymphadora Tonks had been disowned by the Blacks for marrying a werewolf, they had not been an option. It had actually been Harry who'd convinced the recalcitrant Fenrir to take a chance on himself and become Teddy's father. Both James and Teddy were in this town world, ignoring the muttered gossip as they caught up.

A few of the older wizards who had been alive almost half a century ago were taken aback when they saw Lily flitting about the room, the mirror image of one Lily Potter. She exuded all the charm and light of the long dead woman. Feeling her father's scrutiny, she turned and waved at him. Tom allowed his eyes to soften at his oldest daughter. Out of all of the Riddles, she gave him the least trouble.

A few of the guests cooed over the adorable image of Alfred and the Malfoy heir, Alfred w'ith the newest Riddle on his hip and sucking his thumb. Everyone saw the small, intimate touches they shared, Alfred blushing as Scorpius whispered sweet nothings into his ear They were all predicting a union between the two boys in a few years when both passed their majority. Tom however felt a mixture of disgust and suspicion. He would have to talk to Harry about the Malfoy heirs cornering interest in his son.

And then there were the twins, their reputation preceding them. The Lestrange brothers trailed after them almost nervously, just waiting for one of them to start smiling like a maniac before the inevitable prank. At the last gathering celebrating a new government takeover in southern America, all the guests had been cursed with bulbous green warts that randomly spurted puss. Including the newly minted president of Magic. In addition, the puss had been impossible to remove. If Tom wasn't aggravated by the twins half the time, he'd be in awe of them.

Cerise, to the surprise of everyone hung like a monkey of off Fenrir's brawny arms. A few cast worried glances at the Riddle princess chatting so animatedly with the dangerous were. But she was in the safest place in the room, except for being by Harry or Tom. He caught a whiff of her endless monologue about dragons again. He made a mental note to get her a dragon on her upcoming birthday. Surely Harry wouldn't be too upset, all the other children had their own pet owls and there really wasn't much difference between a dragon. They both flew.

Tom, tired of playing politics left Malfoy Sr. to bandy about threats disguised into praise and flattery and walked straight into the crowd towards Harry. The wizard, along with his son Hadrian were conversing with the President of Magic in China, a Mr. Chu Chongshuk and his wife Chu Shunyi. He saw his son Alfred interrupt the foursome, blushing profusely and handed Harry a squalling Orion. The child immediately quietened when it met two new people, his eyes riveted on the large gold buttons on Mr. Chu's black coat. Alfred hurried away, narrowly missing crashing into a dancing couple. He noticed a flash of silver blonde hair and narrowed his eyes. The Malfoy heir and his son were getting suspiciously cozy. He caught the eye of a few death eaters and motioned to them with a nod to follow Alfred, discreetly of course.

Harry reached up and whispered something into Hadrian ear; the boy left with a nod. Mr. Chu's wife cooed at Orion, the child now babbling at the short woman with a thumb stuck inside his mouth. Tom crept up quietly behind Harry before sliding his arm around the shorter male's waist. The wizard started and made to move away but Tom squeezed and smiled down at Harry. To observers, they merely saw the dark lord showing affectionate possession. The select few reporters in the room tired to take discreet photos of the phenomenon. The dark lord rarely smiled. But Harry, who saw the threat in the smile that showed too many sharp teeth took heed and he stayed as he was.

"Ah, Lord Voldemort, I was just talking with your partner about how lovely this party is. Thank you for inviting us." Mr. Chu said with a small twinkle in his eye. Both he and his wife were shorter than Tom, but the president exuded power despite his jovial appearance. He'd heard stories of the man's prowess in battles. He made a formidable enemy, but he'd make an even better ally.

Tom nodded. "It was all Harry's doing, I merely showed up at the right time." He said truthfully.

Mrs. Chu laughed, the sound like a twinkle of chimes in a strong breeze. "Ah, he is man of many talents." Unlike her husband, she had a heavy accent and spoke in softer tones. "And Orion, so charming!"

Tom didn't really see what was charming about a drooling baby. He had to guess it was the size of the baby that was appealing. Once Orion grew up, he was sure the boy would grow into the aggravating Riddle personality.

Small crinkles appeared at the corners of Harry's eyes as he beamed. "Sunny, Tom is giving me too much credit. I had an army of elves and his minions to help. And Orion was on my hip the entire time babbling at me and telling me what to do." Orion patted Harry's cheeks and gave him a toothless smile before turning to the Chu's and nodding, as if to affirm Harry's words. He then looked around and noticed Tom for the first time and squealed in joy. He almost jumped out of Harry's arms in his effort to reach Tom. The dark lord grabbed for the baby as Harry was forced to let the squirming baby go.

"Bwgah!" Orion slapped his hands a few times on Tom's shirt before sticking one of his thumbs back in his mouth. Tom ran his hand over the back of Orion's hair, cupping it protectively. It was so soft, so easy to crush. The first time he'd held Salazar he'd been petrified, but Harry hadn't been there to tell him what to do. His death eaters had had as much experience with babies as he had, which was none. To be honest, he had expected Harry to take care of the babe after it was born. But unforeseen circumstances forced Tom to painstakingly learn how to care for his son from the house elves. Salazar hadn't turned out too bad. He was The least aggravating Riddle, eeking out over Lily and Alfred.

"The baby is very fond of you. And you of him," Mr. Chu said with much inflection in his tone.

Tom raised an eyebrow, staring the man down. He did not like what the words implied. "And why wouldn't I be, he is my son after all." His tone was as cold as winter in Antartica.

Harry looked nervously in between the two. "Yes, Tom is a great father to our children. And Orion, he very much loves when Tom speaks to him in parseltongue."

"Ah, you too speak voice of snakes?" Mrs. Chu asked with excited curiosity. "Much honor and fortune in snake."

"That is but one side of the coin," Mr. Chu expounded, his eyes still on Tom. "Snakes are also sinister and the sign of the devil."

Harry laughed nervously, his eyes flitting between Tom and his wand hand. The boy was probably glad his hands were occupied by Orion. "Everyone has different qualities, both good and bad. It is what makes us human."

Mr. Chu nodded as Harry's sage words. "And what good qualities do you see in your husband, Mr. Potter?" An undercurrent of challenge laced the question.

But Harry was saved from answering as Orion choose that moment to hiccup, and in the next second vomited up a thick white sludge over the front of Tom's robes. Harry gasped beside him. The crowd around them stilled, couples stopped dancing and already death eaters warily edged away. All eyes were on Tom, just waiting for him to explode.

Tom ignored them all. He'd seen Orion-as well his his other children- spit up in Harry countless times. The twins, in particular, had been fond of shoving whatever they found into their mouths as babes and never left Harry with clean robes by the end of the day. So, he did what he'd seen Harry do. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the baby clean, before spelling away the smelly liquid on his clothes. He added a drying spell since the cloth was still a bit wet.

"I think the excitement is to much for Orion." He said with a small smile to Orion. The baby gurgled excitedly, his stubbly legs kicking out and he patted Tom's cheek approvingly.

"Gwa da pha!" Orion exclaimed.

Tom turned back to see Harry wide eyes and slack mouthed, his hands stuck halfway in the air. The boy must had reached to take Orion away, thinking to save the baby from Tom's wrath. Mr. and Mrs. Chu smiled at Tom serenely but they were the only ones. The other guests were in states of similar shock and awe.

"I agree." Mr. Chu said without preamble.

Tom narrowed his eyes on the man. He reminded him too much of a certain dead wizard with a ridiculously long beard.

The Chinese man answered the unasked question. "You may have access to out library vaults and take what you need. I will allow your men limited travel access and we can talk peace treaties at a better time."

Tom probed the man's mind but found no duplicity. The other man grinned wider, feeling Tom's magic inside his head before he forcefully pushed Tom out. "As you can see, I do not lie."

"Tom?" Harry asked in confusion. "What is Mr. Chu talking about?"

Before Tom had time to formulate a lie or distraction, Mrs. Chu answered. "Your husband not take work home, that good. Keep love strong."

Now both men in front of her were embarrassed. Harry didn't even bother to correct the term husband. There wasn't an easy way to say that one was a slave to a world leader. And Tom hated the constant reminders of that horrid word. There was nowhere he could escape to avoid those words. It was a damn plague.

"Your partner has been, shall we say, negotiating with my country for an alliance." They all knew by alliance, Mr. Chu really meant Tom had been looking for anther country to put under his reigns. But again, social protocol called for the softening of words. "We have a rich library, full of books and research by our people. I did not know why he would want such access. In honesty, I feared what he would do with it. But I see now that he seeks to help his son, a bright star whose light has been stifled and your Theo seems like an intelligent man. I have read his preliminary research and it is promising. He will help many people if it is fruitful." Mr. Chu gave a meaningful glance at Orion.

Before Harry could ask further question, and Tom knew the boy was chomping at the bit to ask, Tom accepted Mr. Chu's offer. "Your quick decision concerns me but we will talk." He looked back and found Lucius a few steps behind him. The man had heard the entire exchange. "Set up the meeting, Lucius." He had a lot of questions for the enigmatic man but he was right. Now was not the time. Theo's research was kept secret and only a select few knew so how was Mr. Chu privy to that sentient information.

With a deep bow, the man gestured with a sweep of his arm towards the Chinese couple. "Of course, my lord. This way, Mr. And Mrs. Chu, so we can talk more in private."

"Of course, but let's keep it short. I would like to dance with my wife to this wonderful music." Lucius nodded with a tight smirk before they were led away. Mrs. Chu left with a tiny bow to Harry, who returned the gesture.

As soon as They were gone, Harry turned back to Tom. "What did Mr Chu mean, Tom? He was talking about Orion."

Instead of answering, Tom asked a boon. "Dance with me."

Harry's eyes went wide. Tom had never asked him to a dance, not in private or at a ball. "But…"

"As the host, you should at least dance once."

"But Orion-"

Tom looked around and found his nearest child. "Lily." He called over.

The young witch had been talking with a Nigerian prince but immediately turned and walked over to her father. "Yes?"

"Take Orion. I want to dance with your mother."

Even Lily looked surprised. Tom pushed Orion towards her and she was forced to take him or drop him. "Oh, of course, okay, yeah, great, you should dance with him. Yeah, uh, wow."

It was difficult to bite back the irritable growl. It really shouldn't be that big of a surprise that he wanted to dance. Even if he had never danced with anyone before at a public event. Or danced at all, actually. He was the bloody dark lord, he'd do what he pleased without all this hoopla over a perfectly normal happenstance.

He turned back to Harry and forcibly pulled the younger man into his arms. He could practically hear the quills scribbling about the great lord had smiling and then dancing at a ball. He cast a quick privacy bubble around them, allowing them to talk freely. He should have done that with the Chu's.

Harry's small, compact body fit perfectly in his hold. With his arms wrapped securely around his waist, and Harry's arms lifted to his shoulders it was almost soothing the way their bodies moved gracefully to the song of the mermaids. Harry was warm underneath the layers of cloth. The material of their robes brushed together with their sways before parting only to meet again with a quiet rustle.

"The first and last time I ever danced was at the Yule ball at Hogwarts. It was horrible. I was so nervous and we-the other triwizard competitors and I had to dance in front of all these people. My partner was the one guiding me even though I was supposed to lead," Harry mused. .

"Are you nervous now?"

Harry looked around himself at the people gawking and shook his head. "Oddly no. I stopped caring about what they thought a long time ago. It's partly because of you."

Tom didn't ask about the last part, although he desperately wanted to. He just knew instinctively it would not be a good answer, it would just remind them both of all the bad things Tom had done.

They continued to dance for a bit before curiosity got the better of Harry. "What did Mr. Chu mean about Orion, Tom? And Theo? What does he have to do with any of this?" And by his tone, Tom knew he could defect no more.

But that didn't mean he couldn't try. "It doesn't concern-"

"No Tom, you don't get to do that anymore. When I agreed to have James, you agreed to share everything concerning them with me. No secrets! You promised. And up to now you have kept up your end of the deal."

Tom looked at those defiant green eye, remembering another pair before they had dulled right in front of him. Lily Potter had been a powerful witch but no match for his hatred. How the witch had defied him many times, evading his spies until finally a stroke of luck and the squeal of a rat brought about her downfall. Without hesitation, she'd put herself in front of his wand, no fear for herself in her eyes. Her only concern had been for her child, for Harry. And he saw the same look in Harry's eyes now. His children lucky to have such a fierce protector.

"Theo is doing research on squibs."

"Why?"

"Because I said so, Harry!" Tom snapped. At Harry's flinch, Tom took a deep breath. "Orion is a squib. And it was my fault. I can admit that. I discovered Theo's preliminary research on squibs and commissioned him to further it. He found out that they have magic, it's just locked away. His experiments on some of the subjects showed promise. But I need what I suspect is in those vaults to make a breakthrough." He admitted it quietly, looking at Harry's face for his reaction.

The boy opened his mouth but nothing came out. He frowned, looking for words but finding nothing suitable. After a while Harry's hands tightened on Tom's shoulders. "Tom…thank you."

He had never heard that tone of voice form Harry, so full of awe and surprise and wonder. His eyes alight with hope and happiness, as if Tom had just handed him a great treasure. Through Tom's probing, he'd seen snippets of Harry's life in his memories. He'd seen the expression when Harry had gotten his wand, when he caught that snitch, when he'd gotten an ugly sweater from the Weasleys, when that half giant Hagrid had given Harry a picture album, when he'd ridden a hippogriff, when his godfather had asked Harry to move into Grimmald place with him, when he'd caught the golden egg….a few fleeting moment shining bright in the depressive mire of the boys young life. And after that, there had been nothing up until Salazar, when for the first time Salazar called Harry mama when the boy was eight and Hadrian one. Then he'd seen flashes of that same expression when one the children said or did something, from riding their first broom to something as mundane as giving Harry a chocolate frog. But not once had Harry looked at him with that expression.

But to see it now, all Tom could think was that he wanted more. He wanted it all. He wanted Harry to look at him like this all the time, only at him, for all eternity.

In a sudden flurry of movement, he spun them around and around, forcing Harry to cling to him. The music cried out in a crashing crescendo to match the rhythm of their bodies. Harry was brought up to his tiptoes, leaning most of his weight on Tom as the older wizard dipped and twirled Harry to the heavy cadence of the the music. Out of breath and dizzy, Harry stared up at him with wide eyes.

Tom, for the first time in his life swallowed his pride. "I'm sorry." It was barely legible, but Harry heard.

The smaller man made to pull away but Tom did another twirl and forced Harry's entire body to rest on him as he lifted Harry up in air as required by the dance.

"Oh!" Harry floundered for a bit, his fingers digging into Tom's broad shoulders as he went airborne. But he was never in harm of falling. The hands gripping his waist was tight, almost painfully so, but they assured that they'd never let go.

As the music died down, Tom slowly brought him down. The slide of the younger man's body over his was a pleasure he'd long denied himself. Harry's breath hitched in his throat, but his eyes stayed connected to Tom's. There was no fear or hatred in those eyes. They looked new, shiny as a new penny. If someone separated that moment, voiding their past and future, they could have been two strangers meeting for the first time. Full of curiosity and wonder, questions and hope, all so tentative and yet bold in a bid to figure one another out in one single, eternal second.

"I'm sorry," Tom whispered again, breaking the moment and let their past histories come crashing down around them and freeing them to move on to their future.

Finally, on his own two feet, Harry was free to pull away. Tom's hands were loose on his waist and the other couples dancing had started to separate to get a drink or find their next dancing partner. But Harry stayed put, his arms looped around Tom's neck, one of his fingers rubbing up and down the nape of his neck. Tom felt like hissing under that soothing caress.

"You actually mean it, don't you?" Harry asked in wonder, not needing to be told what Tom had to apologize for. There were so many egregious things he'd done. Honestly, Tom didn't know if he was apologies for what'd he done recently or the things he'd done in general.

"Yes."

Harry tilted his head, his face unreadable. "Do you want my forgiveness?"

Tom shook his head. "No. I just wanted you to know I –regret- my actions. I acted out of anger and I am sorry I took it out on you."

"And Orion?"

"I acted out of fear."

Harry nodded, trying to understand but if going by the frown on his face that was unlikely. "I-I, honestly, Tom I don't know what to say, or what you want to hear."

I want to hear you say you love me!

But Tom reigned in those words. He didn't deserve those words, he'd done nothing to deserve them. But that didn't mean he still didn't want it, above anything else. No one had said those words to him. Sure, he had his rabid followers but they loved his power. They'd die for him, but none would live for him. His mother certainly hadn't; the weak bitch had abandoned him to a life of misery until he'd gone to Hogwarts. But he'd grown into the wizard he was despite her, despite his poverty, despite the muggle blood flowing in his veins. He hadn't needed to hear those words.

Love was a foolish emotion to weed out the weak. Or so he thought. Lily potters live for Harry had aced the boy and killed him. Harry's love for their children frankly awed Tom. He'd never been privy to such a thing. As babes, they kept Harry up at all hours, they ran around like headless chickens, they broke things and for the most part were a general nuisance. But Harry's love for them was endless. It was a wonder to see. At first, he'd been baffled by it. But slowly over time, he'd grown envious of the attention his children got that he was denied.

It baffled him. Harry expected nothing in returned and his love was unconditional. The children didn't have to do anything to deserve it, they just had it. They expected it as if it was a right. Tom had had to work so hard to get the filling he had, he had to maintain a healthy amount of fear to garner the publics obeisance. They did everything he told them to at the drop of a hat. It should have been enough, but it paled in comparison to what Harry could give him.

"I want nothing. I just wanted you to know."

Harry bit his lip. "Well, thank you for the apology. And the dance," he offered with a soft smile as he finally pulled away.

The entire ballroom had their eyes on them and Harry flushed under their scrutiny. He stayed close to Tom's side as the taller man escorted Harry towards Lily, who stood by all her other siblings in mild surprise. Though he loathed the necessity to have all these people witnessing such a private moment, Tom nonetheless liked that it forced Harry to seek comfort from his warm body.

They were almost to Orion, who grinned a toothless smile at Harry when through the crowd filtered a stilted conversation. He toned in onto the voice, amplifying it for his own ears.

"…hmpfff, just look at that boy…," a female voice shrilled.

"…got a nice ass though…" a male chimed in.

Harry took Orion off Lily's arms and cooed into his face. Orion squealed, his hands grabbing for Harry's lips in wonder. But the festivities must had tired him out because in the next second he yawned, his tiny pink tongue curling cutely. There was a collective sound of "awww" through the crowd.

"Oh, are you sleepy love?" Harry nudged his nose into the soft cushion of Orion's chubby cheek. The child shook his head. He whined pitifully, emitting small little whimpers of want that had Harry frantic to appease him. Orion rooted down, his small lips opening and closing like baby birds looking for sustenance. His small chubby hands patted around on Harry's collar, clearly looking for milk. Laughing, Harry snuggled Orion closer. "Okay, food then sleep hmm?"

Harry looked to Tom, who nodded. "Go, I'll make your excuses." Harry smiled sweetly and turned to leave.

"…feeding a baby, well I never! There are wet nurses for that….feeding it like a muggle…"

"Well it's a squib baby, isn't that just a muggle?" The masculine voice from before joined the high, shrill female's.

"Might as well be, just as useless and disgraceful." The female one sniffed. She no longer sounded like she was trying to hide her conversation. A few of the other guests mumbled disapprovingly and stepped away from the conversing duo. Through the gaps the guest left, Tom saw a portly woman swathed entirely in a hideous shade of pink. Even Fenrir had more fashion sense on his most flamboyant days.

Fenrir, always lurking by Harry growled and prowled towards the pink woman. "Whadaya just say, woman?"

The portly woman huffed and pointed her nose as high in the air as it would go. A hideous pink feather hat quivered over her overly stiff curls. "It is highly insulting to have the great and noble Slytherin line sullied by such muggle blood. And I'm sure I'm not the only one who agrees." As if a stink bomb had exploded around her, the other guest hastened to put at least ten feet between themselves and the woman. The only one fool enough to stay by her side was a dim looking man with hideous pock marks over one side of his face. He was frail and thin looking, only vaguely familiar to Tom.

The pink woman let out a whimpering, and yet smug sound. The man-ah, Augustus Rookwood! Tom remembered now, the man had been one of his death eaters before being captured and sent to Azkaban. The man hadn't been accepted back into the fold after the breakout from Azkaban. He'd been too unstable fro the overexposure from the dementors. With an already weak magical core, he'd been practically useless to him. How the hell had he gotten in to the party? His question was quickly answered when Tom noticed the press badge on hanging from the lapel of his cheap suit.

"Yeah, squibs don't have magic so they're just like muggles." Rookwood said obtusely. .

The pink woman nodded frantically. "They should not even be allowed to mingle with wizards such as ourselves. They pollute or blood and breeding with one weakens the magical core." She wrinkled her nose in disgust when she spotted both Harry and Orion staring at her wide eyed.

"Who are you?" Tom asked.

Beady eyes in a toad like face turned to him. "Oh, Lord Voldemort, I am Dolores Umbridge, formerly of the ministry department of dark creatures' registration and now a lobbyist for W.A.N.D.S., an organization that works for the betterment of the wizarding community."

"The fuck is that?" Fenrir loomed over the woman, baring his teeth. But the woman didn't seem fazed. She sniffed, a high pitched yipping sound much like a poodle and took a step back from the hulking werewolf.

With with a condescending tone, she explained. "W.A.N.D.S. stands for Wizards Against the Non-Magical Defilement of Society. Our society. For centuries now, muggles have infiltrated our great society and diluted out powerful blood and we are forced to breed weak creatures like that! A squib!" She pointed a quivering finger at Orion, who hissed at the women. The rest of the Riddle children bristled at the woman's tone, the elder ones flicked out their wands to the ready. Their Magic was so volatile bright sparks spewed irrationally from their wand tips. Harry would have no doubt been pissed that his children were readying for attack in the middle of a party but he was too incensed by her words.

When Tom said nothing in defense of Harry or Orion, the woman took it at her cue to continue gleefully. She boldly walked forward and simpered under Tom's cool gaze. "We, I mean our group and many of the witches and wizards who subscribe to our beliefs believe it's it such a disgrace that this boy" she spared Harry a venomous sneer before looked back up him with a sickeningly adoring smile. "bore you a weak creature like a squib. You would be perfectly within your rights to kill that child. He is a disgrace to our society and to the noble Slytherin blood. An avada kedavra would do in a pinch but in olden times wizards would burn them to ashes or throw the vile things over a cliff or drown it. But of course, you are the dark lord and you would of course come up with something even better." Umbridge was almost almost salivating at The description. "And your slave should be accordingly punishing for bringing such a shame to the noble house of Slytherin, to you the great Dark Lord. In the olden days, they would be given fifty lashes then thrown naked to the lord's vassals, to teach them that since they cannot breed good magical children they are worth nothing more than a source of pleasure."

Rookwood licked his lips and leered at Harry. "I would be more than willing to teach the boy that lesson, my lord."

Tom was struck still. Were these two mentally ill?

Fenrir growled, drowning out the angry hisses from Salazar and Hadrian. The huge werewolf lunged for Rookwood, his clawed hands clutching at the ex-death eaters throat. He narrowly beat out Hadrian because Barty Crouch and Alecto Carrow held him back.

"Say that again, but to my face." Viscous spit sprayed on Rookwood'ds face, who lost all air of false confidence. He trembled in the man's hands. Fenrir wrinkled his nose and shoved the man back, his claws still embedded in the man's throat. "Pissed yourself did, ya, you puny fucking shit."

The man could only whimper and Fenrir threw him to the ground. Rookwood clutched at his bleeding throat, coughing as he tried to breath in much needed air. He looked around frantically but there was no sympathy to be had. Umbridge looked aghast.

"My lord, you've allowed a dark creature into your home?! And allowed it to put his filthy hands on a honored guest?" The woman put her hand to her bosom, carefully inching away from said dark creature. A few death eaters blocked her exit anyway.

Tom ignored her for the interim, all his attention of the man on the ground before him.

"Nagini." He hissed. He only had to wait a few seconds before startled cried from the crowd sounded and they parted like the Red Sea to let in a twelve-foot snake, fangs dripping a poisonous silvery fluid. "You know what to do."

The crowd screamed when the snake struck, biting right into Rookwood's face. The venom, unlike any other snakes was acidic and upon instant contact began eating away at the man's flesh. It had taken a while for Tom to add that mutation to his beloved companion but all those long hours traveling and researching and experimenting played off.

Torturous screams sounded throughout the room. But Nagini wasn't finished. she continued striking the man, her attacks vicious and relentless. With every bite, more acid poured into the man's body. Black blood poisoned by the venom oozed out underneath him and sprayed onto a few of the other guests.

"Tom."

Tom turned at Harry's trembling cry. The younger man had Orion's face shoved into his neck, but the child was struggling to look back at the scene of torture. He didn't seem bothered by the screams of agony. Alfred was snuggled into Harry's side, his parent clutching him tight with one hand over Alfred's exposed ear. Lily struggled to keep a straight face but she gulped and put a delicate hand to her lips to hold back her disgust. The twins and Cerise were no where to be seen.

He looked at Harry expecting to see disgust or anguish. But he only saw a barley leashed anger, directed at the Umbridge woman. Harry's magic rose around him, a crackling power seeping through his skin and creating static around him. Cracks appeared like veins on the marble underneath his feet. For all the ruckus Roodwood was making, he might as well have been invisible and mute for all the attention Harry paired him. The green around his eyes had come pet disappeared and in those blackened orbs Tom saw something very familiar. Very dangerous. And he understood what Harry needed.

"James, escort your mother and siblings to his rooms. Rabastan, Rudolphus, find the twins and Cerise and bring them to Harry's rooms."

The two brothers stepped out from the crowd and bowed. "My lord, Severus took the twins away as soon as you called for Nagini and Pansy took Cerise to play in the pink room." Rabastan reported.

James opened his mouth, a belligerent reply already on his tongue when Tom thundered. "James, now. Teddy make sure James does as he's told." James glared but his friend Teddy tugged at his sleeve. With a frustrated growl, he wrapped his arm around Harry and lead him away. The shaking wizard let himself be led, too shaken by the display to protest further. Teddy lead Alfred away, speaking softly to him and rubbed his large hands over the teens shaking back. Orion peeked his eyes over Harry's shoulder. His eyes, usually red rimmed around blue was completely blood red and his pupils began to bleed into the whites of his eyes. Tom narrowed his eyes, he'd concern himself over that later. He had trash to dispose of.

"You too, Lily. Go take care of your mother."

The red-haired girl started and looked at her father. "But father, Hadrian and Salazar-"

"Go. To. Harry's. Room. Now, Lily." Tom said coldly. He had never spoken to his daughter in that tone but he didn't need to deal with her now. She bit her lip but nodded, blinking back tears. She turned with a swirl of her blood red dress and stiffly walked out. An entourage of death eaters followed in their wake.

Tom turned back to Rookwood. Nagini lay coiled to the side. There was no more room on the man's body to attack. The venom had deteriorated his vocal cords. His face had sunken into itself, melting flesh mixing with melting bone. One eye had been pierced into by a fang and was melting over his face in a putrid yellowing fluid. The empty hole of his eye socket bubbled with blood. One side of his head had been bashed it, bits of brain matter scattered onto the floor. Clothes long gone, his shriveled body showed the multitude of bites. The macabre mess of his body lay twitching on the marble. His organs were spilling out from his body, some of it just torn up masses of tissue and blood. He lay gasping on his own blood, the blackened sludge gurgling out from the corners of his torn lips. It was the only sound in the room. Even The music had stopped.

"Nagini, clean it up. The smell offends my nose."

"Yes, master." The snake hissed before slithering forward. Her mouth opened wide, the great cavernous hole looming over the man's face. Rookwood's single eye twitched in horror before flitting shut in a dead feint. Tom sent a small crucio to wake the man up just as Nagini swallowed his whole face in gulp, then continued to swallow the man's entire body until only remnants of the man's flesh and blood and tissues lay on the floor.

Lucius Malfoy stepped forward behind Tom and cleaned up the rest of the mess until it looked as if the past few minutes had just been a terrible nightmare.

"Salazar, Hadrian." Tom waited for his two sons to come forward. "Now, I don't believe my sons quite agree to what you said." He addressed Umbridge. Antonin Dolohov stood behind the woman holding her captive. Her eyes widened and she squeaked.

"Hadrian, care to show our guest how we take care of pests?" With that, Tom unleashed his hidden weapon and Hadrian lunged with his wand drawn out.


	7. Chapter 7

Guys, keep in mind Rita's expose is one sided and she wasn't there to witness things, therefore it's rife with speculation. Not everything is as it seems. Also, a lot of you guys seem to like the family interaction, I originally thought it would be boring to you guys so I'm glad you like how the other characters interact with each other and Harry. There will still be a lot of Tom/Harry interaction so no worries. Next chapter we'll see how Hadrian and Salazar are together, and of course the torture scene I promised. It's mainly Hadrian doing the torturing but Tom will get his chance too.

Beta'd by the amazing mangoarcher1802.

Chapter 7 immorality, immortality, immobility

Taking a deep breath, Harry began his fairytale. "A long time ago-"

"How long ago?" Cerise asked with a frown. Harry smiled at her and ran his hand over her unruly hair. She refused to let him him cut it and he feared she never would let him the older she grew. He like to tease that she was his little Rapunzel, to which she'd reply she'd make a real princess if she had a pet dragon to protect her.

Before he had time to answer, Reggie interrupted. "A long time ago, dummy!"

Cerise gave him a dirty glare. "I meant in years, you plebeian!"

"I don't quite know darling. How about we say a thousand years ago ?" Harry suggested. His daughter liked to have factual details.

"Will there be dragons in the story?" Cerise asked hopefully.

It was Lily who groaned this time. "Cherry pop, let mom finish the story first. Okay?" Cerise pouted but obeyed her older sister nonetheless. The twins looked extremely pleased at their sister's downtrodden look.

So, Harry continued. "There lived a magical boy in a village that didn't know magic existed."

"Why didn't they know magic existed?" Cerise piped up again.

Rom groaned and kicked at his sister. "Shut up!"

"You shut up!" Cerise gave him a kick back and both started a war of "no, you shut up" and when Reggie joined in to support his twin Harry was forced to intervene. He pulled Cerise to his other side between him and Lily and glared at the twins.

"We do not kick siblings." The twins instantly withered under his fierce gaze.

Rom whined. "But, mummy, Cerise kicked me too!" Reggie nodded to back up his brother, as if Harry hadn't just seen the the three fighting.

"Yes, but you started it."

Reggie huffed and stuck his tongue out at Cerise. "Because she was interrupting too much!"

Harry turned to Cerise. "Love, I'm going to explain everything okay? How about letting me tell the story without any more interruptions, hmm?" He softened the reprimand with a kiss to her forehead. Cerise nodded, but not before sticking out her tongue at the twins spitefully.

But Reggie and Rom cried out for a kiss from their mother too so Harry kissed them too each on their foreheads with a laugh.

"Okay, back to the story please!" Lily exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air.

Chuckling, Harry continued. "His parents had died- "

"How did they die?"

"CERISE!" Even Alfred, ever his most quiet child shouted along with Lily and the twins at the young girl, who instantly deflated under their combined glares of annoyance.

"They were on the run from a very evil man. That's how they ended up in the muggle village but they were wounded from battle and the parents died in each other arms." Harry saw Cerise open her mouth again and before she could do so and bring down more ire on her tiny little head, he hurried to explain. "There was a wizard who wanted to control the entire world and the boy's parents were trying to protect the world from the wizard. His army had attacked the boys home and wounded the parents. So, the boy grew up orphaned with only the village elders looking after him."

The children were enraptured with the story he was spinning. "They didn't like that the boy could do magic, so they treated him very unfairly. Other children his age were told by their mamas and papas that he was dangerous. Since they didn't know that magic was not evil, they saw all that the boy did with magic as something to be feared. They made him live in a small shed next to the village church. They gave him little food. But the boy was resourceful. At night, he would go out and climb to the highest tree to get the juiciest fruits and scoured the fields for the best veggies. Once, he accidentally magicked a crop of strawberries to taste like beets. He also stole of the candy and sweets the village women baked. He would sneak over the buildings and steal all the clothes and blankets he needed from the drying lines. And he even took toys from the children who ignored him to play with. He magicked them to move and talk to him, chasing away his loneliness. When a village child found one the the spelled toys, they fainted dead away when the small doll began talking to him." The twins and Cerise found this funny and giggled. Hopefully the twins wouldn't take inspiration from the prank. Merlins balls, who was eh kidding, of course they were already devising a plan.

Harry smiled but there was no mirth behind his eyes. He was still shaken after that display in the ballroom. And he wasn't even angry at Tom. He didn't care about what that woman had said about him. Other people, people he actually cared about had said worst about him. But what she'd said about Orion had been unforgivable. To say such a heinous thing and about an innocent life…Harry hadn't called out to Tom because he'd wanted to stop it. No, he'd called out to Tom for help.

He'd been on the verge of cursing the woman himself. He'd been too close to reaching for his wand and cursing the woman. The hatred he'd seen in that woman's eyes had roused his quick anger. He hadn't cared about Rookwood or what was happening to him. And that was what scared Harry the most. That he could look on in apathy at a man getting tortured. That he'd wanted to inflict the same pain on that woman. So, he'd called out to Tom and he had understood.

Harry hadn't been sure that he could have stopped himself from attacking the woman if Orion and Alfred hadn't been in his arms. He'd needed Tom to force him from the room.

After, he'd gathered his children to him, so relieved that neither the twins nor Cerise had seen that. It was bad enough that James, Lily, and Alfred saw that. And he didn't delude himself into thinking that Salazar and Hadrian weren't familiar to such things. After feeding Orion, he had transfigured a crib by his bedside and put the baby to bed. Harry had ushered them all into his gigantic bed, the children piling around close to him. Alfred had begged for a story and Harry obliged, knowing his kids needed to occupy their minds with something else.

But he didn't know any fairytales. The Durselys hadn't exactly been reading him bed time stories at night. So he made up a story, letting the words flow and weave an adventure for the kids. He recounted many stories of how the villagers had tried to punish the boy but through sheer wiles, the boy managed to outsmart even adults.

"….and then he was captured by a, um, a dragon." Harry improvised. Everyone except Cerise groaned, but the six year olds happy squeal drowned them out. They knew with dragons in the story, there would be no end of questions.

"How did he get captured by a dragon, was it a nice dragon, where did the dragon come from?' She asked excitedly.

"There was a slumbering dragon high up on the tallest mountain in the tallest castle. Everyone thought the castle was haunted so they all avoided it, even the boy. But since the villagers had gotten better at hiding food and clothes and toys from the boy, he crept up the hill one night and stole into what he thought was an abandoned castle. He told himself that The story The village elders told to the children were to scare them from playing in the old castle. He searched though the dark halls and in a room found enough gold to feed himself for a thousand years. So, he took some gold, vowing to be back. But as you know, dragons love their gold and when the boy took the gold, he broke the sleeping curse on the dragon. The dragon roused, angry and breathing fire. That night he flew down and set fire to an entire field of crops." Both the twins and Cerise gasped, their eyes going wide with Harry. They'd been cheering the boy's adventures and were worried for the fate of the boy.

This time it was Reggie who interrupted. "Was the boy okay, did the bad dragon find him?"

"He's getting to it and we don't know if the dragon is bad yet. The boy took his gold, what else was the dragon supposed to do?" Cerise defended.

"The scared villagers blamed the boy and so they caught him up and offered him as sacrifice to the dragon. They tied him up to a post and left him alone in the cold night. For hours he feared for his life in the middle of the field the dragon had burned through the previous night. The dragon found him and was going to eat the boy but he decided to keep him instead."

"Why, did the boy eat too much spinach and taste yucky?" Rom asked, identical looks of disgust and horror on him and his twins face.

Reggie wrinkled his nose and shook his head. "Ew, why would the boy go stealing spinach when there are perfectly good candy and sweets to steal?"

Chuckling, Harry shook his head. "That's exactly why the dragon didn't eat the boy. He had gorged himself on too many sweet things that the moment the dragon tried to take a bite out of him, he got a toothache!"

"But mommy then we should eat more sweets because that way no dragon will want to eat us!" Rom crowed with a wide smile, making Harry wince at his parental misstep.

"Exactly, we can be your sweet and not eaten by mean, smelly dragons and still alive boys," Reggie added to the argument.

Alfred, who up to then had been quiet chimed in. "Maybe the dragon saw something in the boy that was familiar. It might have reminded the dragon of himself. I mean he was all alone under a curse for who knows how long so the dragon didn't kill the boy because of that maybe?"

Harry reached behind Lily and Cerise and cupped Alfred's jaw in his hand. Out of all his children, aside from the younger ones, Alfred was most prone to be affected by his father's actions tonight. The boy abhorred any show of violence. Harry wanted to keep him unsullied of such things.

"Yes, that's exactly why the dragon didn't eat him. Aside from the candy and sweets that is," he added with a side eye to the twins who grinned unabashedly.

A contemplative frown overtook Lily's face. "So, what happened to the boy?"

"The boy was kept in a tower. It was the highest tower in the realm. There were no stairs the boy could climb. The dragon was the only one who could fly up to visit him," Harry continued in an exaggerated manner, enjoying the ways the twins and Cerise ate it all up. "The dragon wanted to keep the boy all to himself. He was the only one who visited the boy. At first the boy was afraid of him, for the dragon was very mean and breathed fire and smelled of sulfur. But he couldn't go back to the villagers either. They had tried to sacrifice him, he could only imagine what they would do to him next if he came back. So, he kept his magic hidden from the dragon and stayed in the tower. The dragon brought him the best foods. The juiciest chicken, the most succulent beef, the tartlets and sweetest tarts, and yes even the freshest vegetables that included broccoli and the boy ate all of it." He emphasized the last words for the twins who grimaced.

"I think the dragon was trying to fatten him up to eat him," Reggie mumbled.

"The boy got to know the dragon better. And even if the dragon was gruff and seemed mean, the boy began to enjoy the dragon's company. Slowly, the dragon began to confide in the boy. He then discovered this was no ordinary dragon. He was in fact a wizard turned into a dragon!"

Cerise's eyes widened in wonder. "So, was he an animagous? Do you think when I'm an animagous I could be a dragon?"

"It takes years and a lot of brains to be an animagous," Reggie snorted, with the clear implication that Cerise had nether to even hope for such a thing.

Lily quickly slain her palm over Cerise's and hugged the bristling girl to herself. "Cherry pop, I'm sure you can be an animagous if you work really hard."

Nodding, Harry continued. "Your sister is right, love. But I'm sure if you put your mind to it you can be a dragon too. But no, the dragon in his story was not an animagous. This dragon had been placed under a curse. His heart had been taken out by an evil man and been divided into seven pieces and hidden. Because he had no heart the evil man could control the dragon. But the dragon didn't like that so he got a nice witch to place him under a sleeping curse so the evil man couldn't control him anymore. But since the sleeping curse was broken, the evil man was coming for the dragon again to control him. So, the boy decided to go on an adventure to get back all the pieces of the heart. He felt so guilty and knew it was all his fault for waking the dragon up in the first place. So, the boy...

….

 **Excerpt from The Making of a Tragedy by Rita Skeeter**

 ** _No one could imagine that at the TriWizard Tournament woudo see so much tragedy. Sure, champions died but the winner was met with much fame and fortune. Wizards celebrated the winner for years to come._**

 ** _When Harry Potter was chosen as the second champion for Hogwarts, I will admit that I grew worried. I knew something afoul was involved, I just did not have the evidence I have now or I assure you, dear reader I would have reported this grievous wrongdoing right then and there. Much drama followed the boy who lived, and this reporter was the one to report on the love triangle between Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and the Drumstrang Champion Viktor Krum._**

 ** _The Gryfindor champion excelled at all his tasks, as I knew he would. But during the last task, Harry and his fellow Hogwarts Champion Cedric Diggory both reached the cup at the same time. Only, the boys did not know that it was a cleverly disguised portkey put there by Alastair Moody, the professor of the Defense Against the Dark Arts. But, it was not actually Madeye Moody! It was death eater elite, our very own General of Defense Barty Crouch, Jr. who used polujuice potion to impersonate Moody and get close to Harry._**

 ** _The portkey took Harry and Cedric to an undisclosed location. From the memories given to me by the late Peter Pettigrew, who was one of Death Eaters, this author can tell you elite death eater Lucius Malfoy, Secretary of State prepared a terrible ritual that brought back the dark lord. He killed Cedric and used his dead body on a ritual to create a corporeal body for Lord Voldemort._**

 ** _History was made that day._**

 ** _Captured by the dark side, the Order scrambled to recoup their loss. Harry's abduction, and right under Dumbledores nose was a catastrophic hit the Order never recovered from._**

 ** _The first few months under Lord Voldemort was terrible. Horrifying. Unspeakable. Dear readers, it truly hurts me to write this. I don't know how Harry survived them. House elves were treated with more care. He saw and experienced what no boy, no man, no wizard should ever see or have done to him. He tried to starve himself. But it seemed Lord Voldemort had anticipated that and kept him under constant surveillance. When he would not eat, death eaters held open Harry's jaw and poured food down his throat. Harry couldn't even take a piss or take a shit, excuse my language, without death eater eyes one him. There was once instance where he tried running into a wall, multiple times before Draco Malfoy, one of regular guards then, stopped him. From then on Harry had never even been able to give himself a scratch. But that didn't mean Lord Voldemort had been under the same restraints._**

 ** _After everyone of Lord Voldemort's visits, he'd pass out, his body just one big mass of bruised and blood. From the pensive memories given to me by an anonymous source, I could not even recognize the man I know today. But when he woke up, his skin was mended and his aches vanished. Severus Snape served as his personal healer. But it was only temporary as Harry soon learned. Lord Voldemort didn't leave the boy's skin unmarred for long. It continued in that vein for some months. The only companion he had was Lord Voldemort during their visits._**

 ** _But then it changed when one night Harry reporting feeling an excruciating pain. Lord Voldemort was called and my anonymous source told me he became completely crazed. Severus Snape along with the top Healers from St. Mungos were compelled to treat Harry. Medical records show that his appendix had almost burst and it had to be removed. Harry Potter almost died that day._**

 ** _At this moment, you must be asking yourself why did Lord Voldemort care? I myself wondered why did Lord Voldemort keep Harry for as long as he did? Sure, I understand wanting revenge but what revenge is greater than death? Now I may sound callous but why not torture Harry Potter then dispose of him? After all, during that time the Order believed he was prophesized to kill the dark lord, not knowing about Neville Longbottom at the time._**

 ** _Now pay attention dear reader because this is where it starts to get interesting. For I am going to do what no one else has ever done. I am going to be revealing the secret to eternal youth! But be warned, it comes with a price._**

 ** _Harry Potter's life has everything to do with Lord Voldemort's death._**

 ** _Horcrux._**

 ** _Now many, if not all of you know what that is. Let me explain it to you. From my extensive research from_** ** _Secrets of the Dark Arts_** ** _, scrolls from the Library of Alexandria, and my extensive travels all over Europe I found out all about horcruxes._**

 ** _To make a horcrux, one must sever their soul and put that piece of the soul inside a powerful object. In order to rip a soul apart, a person had to commit a heinous act. And what is more heinous than murder? Lord Voldemort killed many wizards to rip apart his soul._**

 ** _But, I, your ever-inquisitive author asked myself about other wizards that have also killed but they did not make horcruxes. So only murder cannot be the thing that makes a horcrux. When I searched through Albus Dumbledores office, I found the book_** ** _Secrets of the Dark Arts_** ** _which only described the spell. It did not however tell a person how to make one horcrux._**

 ** _I gained access to the historical vaults in Egypt and spent hours looking through scrolls which finally led me to figure out how Lord Voldemort had found immortality…and in doing so, immorality._**

 ** _For the first time in publishing history, I bring to you the biggest kept secret of our world._**

 ** _I consulted with a professor of ancient runes, K. M. Pemberly to help me with the ancient scrolls. To make a horcrux a person needs an object of "immense power and complete neutrality" to contain the soul. And for them to live, another must die. So therein comes the murder part. However, this spell tests the person to see if they are strong enough, worthy enough to become immortal. Yes, you read that right. A spell tests a person, as if it is a sentient being. But the professor assured me that it was possible. He explained that magic is a living thing. The same way a wand chooses its master, magic can pick and choose upon whom to bestow its gifts on._**

 ** _The way the spell tests the person is horrendous. Because in the process of making a soul, the person doing it must immediately destroy the soul of their victim after killing their body. We all know that once we die, our souls move on to the after life. Dementors, when giving the kiss inhale and feed on souls. Those unfortunate beings become mere shells. There is no afterlife for them to find peace. And that is, in essence, what a person who wants to make a horcrux is doing. They destroy the soul and in the extreme taboo of it, rips apart their own soul and transfers it to an appropriate object._**

 ** _Now, what does this have to do with Harry Potter?_**

 ** _Well, readers, I warn you to brace yourselves._**

 ** _Harry Potter is a horcrux. To be more specific, he is Lord Voldemort's horcrux._**

 ** _From Albus Dumbledores personal journal I found his suspicions about Harry Potter. He can speak parseltongue. He has a strange connection to he dark lord. He can do things no other students his year can. And there were many more concerning behaviors that more than proved that Lord Voldemort's soul was inside of Harry Potter._**

 ** _So of course, this false savior could not be the boy prophesized to kill lord Voldemort._**

 ** _When Harry Potter almost died from his appendix, Lord Voldemort realized something. While he may be immortal, Harry Potter was not. Horcruxes never were to be made with a living object. Harry would eventually die and kill the horcrux when he died. The problem was to then make Harry Potter immortal, or to transfer the horcrux to another object._**

 ** _Taken from the pensive memories of one of the healers used by Lord Voldemort, I saw how a group of the most distinct and talented healers tried to extract the horcrux. They worked along with the most talented ward breakers and dark arts masters. But to no avail._**

 ** _Then one dark arts master theorized that since a horcrux was parasitic, they could weaken Harry's body almost to death and the horcrux would then be forced to latch onto the nearest magical object. But a person or thing just standing beside Harry Potter would not do. The horcrux had been in Harry so long, it had imprinted on his specific DNA._**

 ** _A healer, given the new information, theorized that a hypothetical baby that shared Harry Potter's DNA would be a perfectly acceptable vessel for the horcrux. After further research, they found evidence to validate their theory._**

 ** _Lord Voldemort decided to pursue it. The plan was to make Harry Potter pregnant. The optimal time to move the horcrux would be when Harry gave birth. It was not the perfect plan but it would give him time to find a better option. This author thinks that he did not want Harry Potter to know that with his death, he could be helping the order. It would just encourage the boy to commit suicide. And so, Harry Potter became pregnant at only fifteen._**

 ** _I am told by an anonymous source that Lord Voldemort told Harry of his plans. Their meeting was held in secret. I have tried to find out what was said or what the agreement was but no one other than Harry and Lord Voldemort know what they agreed to._**

 ** _So, Severus Snape made the potion that allows for male wizards to carry. As you all know, it is an expensive potion composed of obscure ingredients and rare magical creatures. Very few can afford it, and even fewer can make it. Snape happened to be the one out do six in the entire world that could make it. The potion is also very dangerous, as it permanently changes a males insides. But Harry is a powerful wizard and he soon fell pregnant. Lord Voldemort stopped his nightly visits after it was confirmed. He ordered Harry to be moved into his own rooms, albeit still under heavy guard._**

 ** _At the time, Draco Malfoy was a trainee and given guard duty of Harry Potter after the wall incident. From the Malfoy gardener, I learned they fought almost daily but Harry never asked for another guard. Once, Harry spelled ferret ears on top of Draco's head. Draco then retaliated and spelled boils all over his face. Unfortunately, Lord Voldemort decided to check up on Harry that particular day and subsequently crucio'd Draco. Other such similar instances occurred. But that didn't stop the budding friendship between them. Which, dear readers slowly turned into something more._**

 ** _It turned into a torrid love triangle between Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter, and Draco Malfoy…_**

 ** _TBC_**

…

"…and so, the boy found the first piece of the dragon's heart…" Harry looked over his children's sleeping faces. Rom and Reggie faced each other, Rom already drooling onto their shared pillow and Reggie's leg twitching out in small kicks against Rom. Cerise slept like an angel, her hands tucked under her head and her feet curled under his thighs. Lily slept haphazardly with her arms thrown over her face that didn't stopper her small snores. Although if he ever said that to her face, she'd deny it. Alfred, pushed to the very edge by Lily slept on his stomach, one arm fallen over the edge of the bed.

Harry remembered the time when Alfred was just a toddler and sleeping in his own room. He and Lily has been sharing rooms but the girl wanted more privacy so the two close siblings had transferred to adjoining rooms. But Alfred hadn't been able to sleep the first night and crawled into Harry's room. Thankfully that had been a night where Tom had been away on ministry business or Harry would have died of mortification to have his son see him en dishabille. Harry had slowly weened Alfred into sleeping alone but only with the condition that Harry stayed until he fell asleep.

One night, he'd tucked Alfred in but the boy had begun to whine. One of the edges of his blankets had been trailing onto the floor. Alfred explained that if any limb was over the edge of the bed, then the monster under the bed could get you. Same rule applies to blankets. If all edges of the blankets weren't tucked around his body, the monster could pull off the blanket and get him. So, Harry had carefully tucked in all edges making an Alfred sized burrito before kissing the boy's silly nose and leaving the room.

How small his son had been then. So innocent. Still was.

Gingerly, he lifted himself over the sleeping twins in a feat of truly acrobatic prowess and jumped off the bed, nearly crashing into the side table. Sighing in relief when he caught himself just in the nick of time, he grabbed up his night robes and tied it over his pajamas.

When he stepped out of his rooms, he nodded at the two death eaters stationed outside his rooms. Slytherin Palace wasn't as warded as Riddle Manor. Now that place was virtually impossible to attack, the manor keeping him in as much as it kept everyone out. Since Tom couldn't enact the same number of wards on Slytherin Palace, he'd upped the amount of death eaters guarding him. At all times, he had four guards, two visible and two under charms. The children had two each, although it had taken a while to find willing victims to guard the twins. Harry would have to remind Tom to pay those guards extra.

They trailed him at a safe distance even though more death eaters were stationed in every hall way. He'd grown used it to. Every time he went outside of the manor, Tom had the same entourage following him. They stood as insignificant as the light scones on the walls, so it was almost easy to forget they were even there.

Harry made his way down the hall to the master suite and let himself in, it was blood warded that only allowed him and Tom and to enter. He went straight to the large, ornate fireplace and knelt. He threw in some powder and made a firecall to Tom's office.

It took a few minutes before his call was picked up and Theodore Nott's head appeared in the fireplace. Owlish eyes blinked at him sheepishly. The slight man looked absolutely haggard; his cheekbones standing out in stark relief and and dark circles marring his deep sapphire eyes.

"Theo, don't you ever go home?"

The other man frowned. "I am the undersecretary of the minister of magic, I need to be on call at all times Harry!"

"It's three in the morning. I know you've been taking over the bulk of Tom's workload and since Salazar and Hadrian are both here for the week, you've had no break. How long has it been since you last slept, hmm?"

Theo opened his mouth but quickly shut it when he realized the answer was an alarmingly number of hours.

"I thought so," Harry crowed smugly. "You're going on a vacation right after this week, I demand it."

The under secretary looked positively scandalized at the suggestion. "What?! There is no way I can take off an entire week! There's the pesky trolls I have to deal with not to mention the inter continental trade agreement and the permits that I have to approve-"

"You are taking a two-week break and I'm going to make sure Tom takes away your clearance into the ministry and bars you from the building. And that's an order." Harry gave him the same glare he used to cow the twins. And if it worked on the little devils, it worked on everybody.

The other man gave in but not without a lot of grumbling. "Fine…. liar, said one week first…. lord is going to kill me…bloody Gryffindors..."

Harry rolled his eyes at the ranting. "Speaking of him, can you please go call him? I need to see him."

For once, the undersecretary looked nervous. "Uh, Harry, he's in a delicate situation right now, I'm not sure you should see him right now."

Harry nodded and thanked Theo. "Well can you tell him I'll be waiting in his rooms when he's finished? I need to see him."

"Of course, I'll relay the message as soon as he is finished, although I don't know how long that will be."

"Are Salazar and Hadrian- "Harry cut himself off. Of course they were there. He hadn't wanted them involved with Tom's business. It wasn't for the lack of trying though. But from a young age, Salazar had always looked up to Tom and and became his shadow as a teen. He wanted to succeed his father as minister. Harry had tried to get his boy to pursue other interest but he'd always been met with ruthless determination. Like father like son. Too afraid to further isolate his already aloof son, he'd let Tom mentor and bring Salazar into the ministry.

He'd thought with Hadrian it would be different. He'd been such a precocious child and because of his abilities, Harry had tried to shield him as much as possible. He didn't think Hadrian would want to go into the ministry until Tom bribed his second oldest with countless opportunities to travel to different countries as a dignitary. Of course, Hadrian had accepted and he'd been taken under his father's wings.

Harry had talked to Hadrian, to make sure it was what he wanted. He wanted the boy to understand what being in Tom's ministry would entail. Hadrian had been blunt and told Harry he not only understood but accepted what he would be called to do. He'd said he was doing it for himself but also to protect Harry. After the attack by the Russians, the entire family had been shaken and the main part of Hadrian's job was to to garner allies against Russia, or anyone against Tom's reign really.

"Yes, Salazar and Hadrian are here." Theo answered quietly.

"Right I should have figured. Well, I'll let you go so you can work yourself into an early grave," Harry teased with a small smile until he remembered all that Theo was doing for Orion. "And, Theo, thank you. Thank you so much, for what you did and what your doing, I-I just can't tell you how much. I-just, thank you."

The other man, taken aback asps the profuse gratitude, blushed bright red. "Oh, of course. Harry, you do need to thank me, I'm glad to do it. Really."

Harry thanked the man again before saying goodnight. When the head popped out of sight, Harry went over to a comfy armchair and settled in for a long night's wait. He didn't know how long he spent looking at the empty fireplace when it burst into green flames and Tom emerged.

He'd long since lost his robes and only wore a black shirt and trousers. Harry sniffed delicately, but he didn't smell any different from the familiar leather and sandalwood.

"You're shivering." Tom turned and spelled a roaring fire into the fireplace. Harry unfurled from the chair and realized not only was he cold but his limbs had practically atrophied. He winced as he heard a joint crack as he stretched out.

"Did you come to yell at me?"

A wry grin twisted Harry's lips. "Did you do something that warrants a yelling?"

"Yes."

Harry smiled softly. "Well, I'm too tired to yell at you, you got lucky."

They fell into an awkward silence. He knew Tom refused to address the Umbridge woman so Harry would have to ask. "What did you do to…"

Tom took a few steps towards him until the tips of his boots touched Harry's bare toes. His hands reached for the hands at Harry's sides and his cupped hands slid up from each arm to rest heavily over Harry's shoulder. "I'm sorry you had to hear that. Orion is perfect."

"Do you really think that? You're not ashamed Orion is a squib?" Harry hunched his shoulder, as if preparing himself for Tom to launch into a scathing attack on Orion.

"Orion is my son." He stated with all the arrogance of a king. And as supreme ruler, he set the bar on perfection; indeed, he was the bar. So of course Orion could be nothing less than perfection. And Harry needed this blind and absolute assurance. It was the only answer Harry needed.

He let his body sway forward and rested his head under Tom's chin. And if Harry took a little pleasure from the surprise on Tom's face and the way he startled like a skittish horse, then it was a secret just between him and the chest he hid his small smirk in. He rubbed his cold cheeks over the soft fabric of Tom's shirt. The skin underneath him was warm and welcoming.

"Is she dead?" Harry almost didn't want to know but he had to. As much as he hated to admit it, her death would make him feel more at ease about Orion's safety.

"No. I left Salazar and Hadrian to interrogate her."

Harry hummed. "I've never even heard of W.A.N.D.S. But if they really value what that woman thought then I don't want to hear more of them. You don't think a lot of people really believe the way they do, do you?"

Tom stayed silent, rather than telling him an answer he'd rather not hear. Harry pressed himself closer. Perhaps it was exhaustion, the lack of sleep, the verbal attack on Orion, or whatever. But tonight, he didn't want to be alone.

"You know, you're in the perfect position to hug me. And I'm cold." When Tom's arms stayed slack at his side, Harry tilted his face to look at Tom. The taller man's face was cast in angular shadows, but his glamoured blue eyes stood out in sharp relief. He looked so stern, as if a smirk had never dared to defile this austere visage. But that wasn't true. Harry had seen it himself. Tom had smiled earlier tonight and he'd been the reason for the rare occurrence.

With a sad chuckle, Harry braced his arms over his lover's chest. "I know you're this dark lord that eats unicorns for breakfast and makes out with dementors for lunch but surely your reputation will survive give me a hug. Or don't you even know how to hmm?"  
Tom sneered but nonetheless notched his arms into the dip at the base of Harry's spine. "I do not 'make out' with anyone."

"Of course not, its just the unicorn thing."

He stood up on his tip toes and using his hands on Tom's chest as leverage, he pressed his dry lips to Tom's in a chaste kiss. There was nothing sexual about it, just Harry asking for comfort. And Tom gave it to him. He pressed back, curving Harry's back over his arm but took it no further. Harry pulled back with a content sigh.

"Why are you here Harry?" It wasn't often that Harry actively sought Tom out, and especially not at night in the dark lord's own bedroom.

"I-I wanted t-to to hurt….to see her hurt. I just-" His face crumpled. Harry struggled to explain but he feared that if he said it aloud that it would make it real. He would have to confront it. The voracity to which he'd wanted to hurt that vile woman was so much he hadn't cared about Rookwood. He had lost himself once, so long ago. Someone had died because of him. It didn't matter if that person had deserved it or not, Harry's hands were still stained with the man's blood. Many years passed before Harry had pulled himself from that dark abyss. He didn't know if he could do that again.

"I know. It's okay." Tom said with such authority that Harry almost let himself believe it.

He made a distressed sound deep in his throat. "But it's not Tom, it's not! I'm supposed to- "

"Protect our children, which you did." Tom cupped Harry's face in his hands and looked into teary eyes. "Harry, it's okay." He sealed his promise with another kiss, at first tentative but wit Harry passive in his hands Tom indulged himself. It was dry and salty and Harry's lips were too cold but it was perfect. This man would never condemn Harry for his darkness, it was why the only place he could be right now was with Tom, who was darkness incarnate. No matter how much he might find himself falling, he'd never reach the depths to which Tom knew. There was an odd comfort in that; that Tom could see the worst parts of him and not even blink. Harry pulled back with a soft noise.

"I don't want to think of what you did to her. But I am angry that you allowed the children to see what Nagini did in the ballroom. I'm going to yell you tomorrow about that," Tom snorted above him "but right now I want to go to bed." He pulled away and intertwined his hands with Tom's larger one. Heat seeped into his ice-cold fingers. He tried pulling Tom towards the large canopy bed, but Tom resisted. As he looked back, the older wizard looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"To sleep." Harry explained softly, wondering if Tom would say no. If he would push for more or push him away altogether.

Tom eventually nodded. "To sleep."

He followed Harry, not even brother to change clothes. He helped Harry climb onto the bed before he slotted his hand behind Harry's. The younger man curled his legs up a bit and Tom became his big spoon. He threw his heavy arm over Harry's shoulder but the younger wizard didn't mind. The hand he had resting beside the pillow tuned up and Tom moved his hand over until their palms touched. They both entangled their fingers together and Harry heaved one great sigh before closing his eyes.

Before nodding off to sleep, Harry warned without much heat, "Don't get used to this. I'm letting you take advantage of my emotional state."

Tom merely nuzzled into the back of Harry's neck, listening to the boy's static breath even out.

...

Please read to know more about this AU's theory of horcruxes, important to plot.

Some of you probably have better theories or read better theories of how a horcrux was made. But it didn't feel right using someone else's theory (lol I say that even as I write this story using J. K. Rowlings amazing characters). The theory I liked best was that Voldemort literally eats the flesh of his kills to make the horcrux. It is deliciously macabre and I love it. Buuuut I don't think it would fit because the theory goes that Tom binds his soul to heir by eating their flesh. So in my made up at 2 in the morning theory, Tom kills or has someone be killed (in the case of moaning myrtle) but also destroys their soul. He takes away their chance of an afterlife so that his soul stays on the living plane. Remember how Sirius goes through the veil, and Harry can hear voices from the veil of dead people. And remember in the end when Harry used the resurrection stone to talk to his parents and Remus and Sirius. So, for example, if Tom had killed Sirius with the intention to make a horcrux, he would have destroyed the soul. So, if Harry called using the stone, he couldn't see Sirius because he never existed. (However, for this to be possible, myrtle cannot come back as a ghost as her soul has been destroyed. So, in this au, Tom's basilisk still kills myrtle but let's say it was a failed experiment that made Tom realize that he had to destroy a soul too to make a horcrux. I want the first horcrux he makes to be by killing his own father Tom sr.) also, Harry as a horcrux is possible because he had every intention of destroying Harry's soul.

So, here's my long as theory for this au. Horcruxes can only inhabit something of great power and complete neutrality. An object like a ring that is not good or evil that has a lot of power can be made a horcrux. Nagini, a snake who is an animal is not evil or good, is a powerful dark creature. Harry, as a baby is a compete black slate, not evil or morally good, so he can be made a horcrux. An adult, who is very powerful, who is either good or bad cannot be made into a horcrux because they are not completely neutral.

So, moving on, as Tom makes to kill Harry's soul, the love magic Lily gives Harry by her dead attacks Tom. It kills his physical body and the last part of his soul goes into Harry. Now it is a paradox. It cannot be a true horcrux because Harry is not dead but it can't kill harry either or the horcrux dies. That's why the horcrux inside Harry does not affect his personality. It's in stasis.

Remember how when Harry or Ron wore the locket they were more negative. So, you'd think a horcrux inside Harry would make him the into Voldemorts mini me. Because the horcrux inside Harry is basically walking a tightrope, it is constantly weakened therefore it does not influence him.

I hope this explains things, and lol I hope you read through this long note since it'll help explain horcruxes better.

any whooo, this is super long note. I hope you liked the chapter anyway. But just remember this is fantasy, au, and deviates so much from canon (I mean it's Tom/Harry guys) so don't look too much into it or it'll fall unravel and fall down like a house of cards.


	8. Chapter 8

Tom ...old as fuck but looks late 30 early 40

harry ...46/47 but looks 23/24 because he's immortal

Salazar ...27

hadian ...21

james...17

lily...15

alfred...13

rom and Reggie ...9

cerise...6

orion...a few month

in this au wizards live to 150. Age slower and remain youthful

betad by mangoarcher1802

...

Chapter 8

At the lowest level of the ministry where no light traveled and no air permeated, there was a large white room. White tiles spread over the floor and crawled up the walls to even cover the ceiling. A blueish white light from between the gaps left by the tiles on the ceiling lighted the room. There were no labels to let a visitor know what the room was for. Not many had access to the secret ground level. They didn't need to. Usually it stayed empty.

Usually.

But not tonight. Stoic faced death eaters formed a perimeter along the wall. Some of them shuffled nervously, eyeing the trio in the middle of the room. At some distance, a seated woman took meticulous notes of the interrogation. Dressed in a billowy white shirt and sapphire blue pencil skirt, Pansy Parkinson was the only one in the rooms who looked relaxed. Or as relaxed as a person could get with a woman strung up by her arms in the middle of the room getting tortured. By her side, a small table with small vials of different colored potions stood at the ready. A glimmering translucent shield protected her and the table from the occasional blood splatter.

Hadrian looked at the woman in front him with barely leased disgust. This piece of filth had dared to insult his mother, his brother. To come into their own home and attack one of them was her fatal mistake. It was worse than treason in his eyes. At least that offense attacked an entire government, an institution. But this woman had attacked his mother and an innocent child. And they had been attacked for something entirely negligible.

He had thought squibs would be less of a taboo now under his father's rule. He didn't remember the event but Salazar had been a teen when Tom passed the law that gave back basic rights to squibs. He hadn't really given much thought to what censure Orion might face due to being a squib. To him, Orion was just a child, still nursing from his mother and crying at odd hours and gurgling up at him when he made tricks with his wand. Orion was just his brother. But already he was being judged on something he had no control over.

Casting one his newest spells, Hadrian watched in sadistic satisfaction as a metallic fluid slithered out from the tip of his wand. It curled around Umbridge's immobile body before with one flick of his wand, the sharp metal tip thrust inside her body through her gut. The woman screamed out as the metal fluid continued to fill her until he broke the metal connection to his wand.

"Do you wish to speak now?" Salazar drawled.

When they'd first brought the woman here, Hadrian had almost killed her in his overzealous quest for revenge. His magic had been strangling her without him having to even use his wand. But it would have been a quick and merciful death. Thankfully, Salazar cast a quick healing spell. Their father interrogated her while Hadrian was allowed to play. Often, he'd had to be pulled back.

Then Theo had interrupted him, pointedly ignoring him and informed their father that their mother had called inquiring about them. After that, their father had quickly lost patience and it fell on Salazar to put a check on both of them when both of them grew impatient with Umbridge's evasions. Their father finally left when Salazar suggested they could conduct the interrogation until Tom came back.

So, Salazar did the questioning while Hadrian doled out the promised threats. He preferred it that way. He didn't think he could think clearly enough to pay attention to the woman's words when they were so aggravating. It wasn't that she refused to talk. No, she alternately praised him for his mastery of dark spells while wondering how a half blood disgrace like Harry Potter had given birth to him. At her latest derogatory comment on his mother, Hadrian had lost the last restraint on his tenuous control and clawed into her mouth with bare hands and ripped it off.

Salazar had merely tutted before levitating the mutilated flesh and haphazardly reattaching it back to her ravaged face. They'd had to wait a bit to continue as she'd passed out.

Umbridge's lips trembled open then went slack as the weakened muscles gave out. She continued to move her jaw but her lips flapped uselessly.

Pansy tutted and picked out a pale pink potion from the options and levitated it to Salazar. "Really, Salazar, you should study up in your healing spells. They are disgraceful."

The man merely grunted before snatched the floating potion out of the air. He strode to their captive and grabbed her jaw before tipping her head back and pouring the potion down her throat.

"Muscle strengthener?" Hadrian questioned curiously.

With an exasperated sigh, Pansy scribbled something else on a separate parchment. "Not you too. It's a basic potion taught in rudimentary master's level class. Muscle and nerve regeneration potion. It will take about half an hour to work. Perhaps next time you'll think before you go tearing someone's face off."

Both Riddle brothers frowned at her, although for different reasons. "It was not the entire face, it was merely her mouth. Your entire job is to keep records and you cannot even get simple facts correct." Salazar sneered, only to be met with Pansy slight sniff.

"And your entire job is to get the address of the society she works for. And my excellent records show that you have not done that in the hours we've been here." She retorted with a small smirk.

Salazar growled but said nothing. He walked back to Hadrian and crossed his arms over his chest. "Insufferable witch," he muttered underneath his breath. Although it might have been "insufferable bitch,".

Out of the corner of his eye, Hadrian saw Pansy reach for the parchment she'd written on before and make another notation. With the intention to clearly be heard, Pansy said "Salazar: grew frustrated at valid critique, devolved to name calling like a child."

Hadrian snorted in amusement. It was no wonder his brother and the Parkinson heir were dating. Both had the vinegary personality to match.

A vein pulsed dangerously by Salazar's jaw as he clenched his teeth. "Writing my biography?"

Pansy quirked a perfectly groomed brow and brushed the tip of her quill against her pursed lips. "No, just a separate report of you and Hadrian for Lord Voldemort to read."

Salazar snapped his jaw shut and looked blindly at Umbridge. The man was probably imagining Pansy in the woman's place. Hadrian snickered.

"Do you find something funny brother?"

"Yeah, you. You guys are hilarious. You should bring her home to meet mom." Hadrian said the last part in parseltongue, not wanting to out his brothers dating life to the other death eaters in the room. Their father already knew the two were dating, he always knew everything. But their mother didn't and Hadrian wasn't going to be a snitch. Tom used his powerful legilimency skills to completely shatter his children's privacy but Harry had other ways. He bribed the death eaters to keep him appraised over his children. Although he only did that for Salazar and James. Hadrian readily told his mother everything, wanting him to know. His mother was the best listener.

Pansy spoke up in the middle of their conversation. "Um, I have that recorded phonetically so your father will still know what you've said."

Another vein at Salazar's temple jumped as he addressed Hadrian. "Mind your own business and pay attention to the job."

Hadrian grinned cheekily. "She's out for twenty-five more minutes. I'm bored and you're fun to tease. You get so pissy."

"I do not get pissy."

"Uh, Salazar, I'll have to agree with your brother, you do indeed get pissy. Oh look, you even look pissy now. And you're about to say something pissy in about three…two…"

Hadrian erected a hasty one way silencing spell to cut off Pansy's words. Was she trying provoke his brother into attacking her? They were in a torture room, for fucks sake.

"Remind me why you date her?" The foolish woman was smiling now, and scribbling god knows what in on the report meant for Tom while an automated one transcribed everything that they were saying.

Inhaling through his nose, Salazar slowly let the air from his lungs escape through his mouth. "The reason escapes me at this moment."

They waited patiently for the woman to regain consciousness and use of her lips again. So far, when their father had been here they'd gotten many of the member names for W.A.N.D.S. But aside from the leaders of the group, the rest of the names she listed turned out to be fakes. Death eaters had been dispatched to capture and detain the men and women Pansy had validated as real names. They'd gotten all the rules and regulations as well as the drivel they believed in voluntarily as the delusional woman had tried to actually convert them to her way of thinking. While she was being tortured. Hadrian would have worried Tom's constant attacks into her mind had addled what little wit she had left but she'd started long before Tom had delved into her mind.

A wizard had to know what he was looking for when using legilimency or it would take years to wade through all the memories. The initial step had been to gather some names, even partial ones before Tom had been able to delve into her mind with those specifics in mind. The names connected to other names and faces and that's how he had been able to get a list of names, even if the many of them had been aliases. And he'd only got potential glimpse of a few faces., Hadrian had been told when he'd asked. Many wore masks at gatherings so Umbridge's memories hadn't helped on that avenue. Now getting addresses for places they met at to where their headquarters were was harder since they were more scattered and there were no obvious connections. Without specifics Tom had not been able to hunt inside her mind. So, they'd resorted to good old torture.

Hadrian had foolishly suggested using veritaserum after the fourth time he'd almost killed her and they'd had to wait for her to regain consciousness. It had not been fun to receive a small stinging hex from his father then a condescending lecture on why he was being stupid. Tom had seen a stray memory where Umbridge had taken an anecdote to veritaserum, a common practice among many wizards now. It only confirmed what he had suspected. Many, if not all the guests had taken the antidote before coming to the ball, they would have been stupid not to. It would be so easy to slip the potion into a drink while no one was looking. So of course, Umbridge would have taken a precaution like that.

The antidote usually lasted for twenty-four hours before fading away but time was of the essence. Once her cohorts learned she had offended Tom and his family, they'd of course scramble to hide everything and go underground. So, they had to act fast.

Now, they were waiting on the specifies meeting places. She'd already given up places. Some were private homes and business and others were public businesses. At this very second, death eaters were knocking on the doors of private homes and a few more were scheduled to visit the businesses to question the owners and workers.

Umbridge finally blinked open her beady eyes before they went wide when they landed on Salazar and Hadrian. "Please…mmm…Riddle…" she slurred.

"What other meeting places do you know?" Salazar asked for the umpteenth time.

"Ss-squib…wrong…realize this…" Umbridge moaned.

What little reserve he'd had was gone now. With a slashing movement of his wand, Hadrian ignited the metal he'd put inside her. She screamed as it began to heat up, boiling up her insides. The smell of burning flesh permeated the room. One death eater couldn't help his gag reflex, but quickly composed himself when Salazar quirked an angry bow at the man.

The skin over the woman's body began to boil, blisters forming all over her exposed flesh. The fleshy bubbles popped, oozing blood and exposing new skin to the air. Hadrian walked closer and pressed his wand to one of the larger spots of newly exposed skin. Umbridge shrieked, the sound almost enough to hurt his eardrums.

"Expulso." The metal inside her body formed small balls and shot out of her body back into Hadrian's wand. It left thousands of little holes over her stomach and thigh area. They looked like dark pock marks. Blood drippled generously out of the holes, a tropophobic's nightmare. Hadrian stepped closer until he was in her eyesight. She weaved in and out of consciousness but he waited until she could focus on him again.

"This is going to hurt," he smiled viciously as he stuck his wand tip inside a hole on her stomach and twisted. The flesh ripped around the girth of his wand and it became a larger hole. He pulled the wand out and shoved it into another hole until that ripped too. A stasis charm on her organs kept them inside her body. He didn't want her to die on him before he finished his game of connect the dots.

Her screams turned into frantic babbling. He made out some words so he stepped back. Her head lolled uselessly to the side as her screams died down. She stuttered out a mantra of a street address which Pansy quickly scribbled down. Salazar regenerated her skin with a potion and Hadrian repeated his metal spell again only to have it explode out of her again and again. He ripped into those holes, again and again. One time, he had the metal come out from her cheeks then used his wand to rip through the holes, carving a grotesque fake smile as he dragged the wand up in a curve through her cheeks. The skin flapped uselessly as her jaw opened wide in a soundless scream. Her skin made a gross parody of putrid, rotting Swiss cheese.

They got many more addresses to investigate before Pansy declared Umbridge needed time to rest. A healing spell could only do so much before a body needed physical rest. It was just in time however as Tom sent an owl informing them they needed to be present for breakfast. He was pleased with their progress but wanted Harry to have his entire family with him. Hadrian would have gone regardless, he'd seen how shaken his mother had been even though he'd been too busy imagining how Umbridge's face would look smashed against the marble floor last night. But he knew his workaholic brother would have stayed to monitor Umbridge unless Tom said otherwise. And when he requested they do something, it was actually a command he expected to be followed without any protest.

So, leaving Pansy, and another healer to monitor Umbridge in the room, they flooed to Slytherin Palace.

….

 **Excerpt from The Making of a Tragedy by Rita Skeeter**

 ** _The first-time Harry Potter met Salazar Marvolo Riddle was when the heir apparent was six years old. Hogwarts fell to the Lord Voldemort two years prior and the Order, who had their base in a secret room at Hogwarts went underground. One of the Orders top officers and leader of many successful raids against death eaters Lord Sirius Black was killed by Peter Pettigrew in a duel. Order members were slowly dwindling down and their image had soured in the public._**

 ** _Dumbledore spoke of the evils Lord Voldemort would bring, the death that would follow like a shadow. The Order was the light and the Knight of Walpurgis were the dark. But even as war raged, Lord Voldemort implemented many new laws to protect pure blood tradition and give rights to previously classified dark creatures. He brought to light the many injustices they had to face. He made us see how much culture we had lost to muggles. We had closed ourselves off to a large part of magic, seeing all dark magic as synonymous to evil magic. He reminded us that one of the greatest wizards had been a Slytherin, the great Merlin, and yet the majority of wizarding society classified all Slytherins as evil. Gryffindors were the rave ones, Ravenclaws the smart ones and Hufflepuffs the loyal ones._**

 ** _I myself am a proud Ravenclaw but I am not only highly intelligent, but I am very loyal to my reader base, I am brave to risk my life when I report on dangerous events and I am as cunning as any Slytherin._**

 ** _And dear readers, I will remind you I was the first reporter to bravely step forward and pledge my support of the new laws. He fixed the corruption in the ministry one day and fought off Order members the next day while raising a son all on his own. That above all is to be commended._**

 ** _We, the public faced the cold reality of war. War does not know the innocent from the guilty. It spares no one and affects everyone. In efforts to capture Order members, death eaters destroyed entire villages. In raids perpetrated by the Order, entire family lines were lost. Children, women, men, the elderly, there was no discrimination from either side. And we had seen what both sides were fighting for. The light side wanted to bring back the years of past, rife with ministry corruption and no economic growth in a record century. And the dark side was fighting to keep the new ways they'd enacted, to protect the magical community from an influx of muggle influences and correct the corruption of the previous ministry. And the public made their choice, they overwhelmingly wanted to keep the new ways Lord Voldemort introduced._**

 ** _But as you know, Harry fought for the Order. He had been pulled into their ranks with their ideals of protecting the muggles and fighting for the greater good. And may I remind you, those were the mantra of notorious dark wizard Gellert Grindewald. Harry fought as a dedicated soldier, and that is to be commended._**

 ** _This author will remind you of my last best seller book on Albus Dumbledore and how he tricked all of us, even me, dear reader into believing he was a great and noble man. But noble men do not kill their sisters, they do not overlook abuse of their students for the greater good, they do not stand by while a child fights an adult's war. As you know, Dumbledore was close friends with the infamous Grindelwald, the darkest wizard of his generation. One can only imagine how alike the two were._**

 ** _The public soon realized why Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort never faced off in a duel. Lord Voldemort finally tracked Dumbledore down and engaged him in a duel, in which the Hogwarts Headmaster died. It proved to be the death blow to the entire Order. Their leader was gone and they had no direction._**

 ** _Harry Potter, who until previously had fought against death eaters using a polyjuice potion came out of hiding. From an Order member who saw the entire confrontation, I bring to you eyewitness coverage of the duel that changed the course of history. This has never been done before, there has only been speculation over this event. But I bring to you minute by minute detail of what happened._**

 ** _Harry, blinded by grief, went to confront Lord Voldemort at a time when he was giving a public speech on Dumbledore's recent death. The public quickly scattered, not wanting to be casualties of another battle. Surprisingly, it was death eaters helping to clear the great hall of the ministry as the remaining order members came prepared for war._**

 ** _Harry attacked Lord Voldemort and they engaged in an epic battle. Harry, barely past his majority fought with the skill of a seasoned and powerful duelist. Death eaters and Order members watched in awe as they fought, their spells destroying the entire ministry. It continued for hours, Harry proving why he was a worthy opponent to the dark lord. Both men exhausted from battle still persevered as death eaters and Order members battled around them among the rubble of the fallen ministry._**

 ** _But it seemed a tide was turning for the Order. Harry got the upper hand and finally brought the great wizard to his knees. With a simple but powerful expeliarmus, Harry disarmed Lord Voldemort . He was just about to deliver the death blow when someone new entered the foray. A small boy of six, still with the blush of youth staining his cheeks but with the world wary eyes of a soldier who'd seen too much and not enough peace stood before Lord Voldemort with his wand drawn against Harry. Everyone was shocked. The death eaters stopped their duels with the Order to scramble to protect their little lord while the Order members stood in awe of the small boy who dared to stand in front of a wand, all to protect Lord Voldemort ._**

 ** _To everyone's surprise, Harry did not stop. Lost to the bloodlust of battle, he attacked the child. It took only a few spells to get past the child's weak shielding spells and even weaker offensive spells. But readers, do not think that I mean Salazar was weak at age six. He was casting spells most adults now would struggle with. But in the face of Harry Potter, a man whose power I believe rivals Lord Voldemort , the spells Salazar cast were weak. However the child was strong. Every time he fell, he would get up again to face another spell from Harry. He only fell when a dark cutting spell, the sectumsempra, now an illegal curse came his way. As you know, that spell was outlawed by Harry personally five years later. It makes one wonder if his guilt had anything to do with it. This author believes it does, given the evidence._**

 ** _Cut in multiple places and bleeding, Salazar was on the verge of death. And everyone was overcome with horror. Harry Potter had attacked a child. And not just any child, his own child._**

 ** _But the small battle gave Lord Voldemort the opportunity to recuperate and he caught Harry off guard. With a powerful unknown spell, he knocked Harry unconscious and ended the battle._**

 ** _I_** ** _shall state the obvious and say how heartbreaking that battle must have been. But I can bring a bit of heartwarming news. Lord Voldemort immediately went to his son and began to heal him. He screamed out for his right-hand man Severus Snape, who treated the young boy as best as he could. And from the Order member I interviewed, they revealed the saw a hint of tears in the dark lord's eyes. It could have been a trick of the light or the exhaustion of battle that might have addled the Order member but this author likes to think that the dark lord was truly afraid of losing his son that day._**

 ** _The death eaters took their wounded and dead as more reinforcements finally came. There had been a ward erected by the Order that prevented most death eaters from coming in to join the battle. With Harry unconscious, the spell weakened. It was a decisive battle that ended the second war after almost a century. That day, the wizarding public heaved a great sigh of relief, even the few who supported the Order. The war had gone on so long, there were children whose entire lives were spent living in fear of the war, peace a foreign concept. It was over, and many hoped peace would come._**

 ** _And it did._**

 ** _Death eaters took Harry's unconscious body to Malfoy manor, the dark lord's headquarters at the time. The ministry was slowly built by the Malfoys, and public building and homes destroyed in the war were rebuilt from the ministry treasury. Society was slowly regrouping and recovering._**

 ** _However, from a former employee in the Riddle manor, I am told all was not well in the household. Harry soon learned that child he attacked had been his son, a boy he'd thought dead for six years. He was, as I imagine, crippled with grief and guilt. Salazar had to be induced into a magical coma, his injuries so severe. And as society recovered, many speculated and wondered how their savior could have attacked a child so viciously. Perhaps the boy we thought would save us from the dark lord was even darker that lord Voldemort himself. Many had seen Harry fight in the war and saw how powerful he was. Many did not trust him. And Lord Voldemort had proved he was an able leader, so that I believe swayed much of the neutral public to support him ._**

 ** _About a month later, Salazar was reported to have made a full recovery. However, my source told me Salazar was standoffish towards Harry. He only addressed his absent parent by his full title and name, and only when Lord Voldemort forced it. Salazar saw Harry as a stranger, as an enemy. His own parent._**

 ** _The Riddles - Lord Voldemort , Salazar and Harry made their first public appearance and Harry publicly pledged his allegiance to Lord Voldemort . At the appearance, the public noticed a customized slave collar on the young man. No one was outraged. It actually assured us that Harry Potter was under check. What he had showed us truly made us fear him._**

 ** _I can report, however, that the collar shouldn't have reassured us at all. From the same anonymous source I consulted with before about Harry's first two years with Lord Voldemort when he was fourteen, I can tell you that Harry had the collar placed on him the moment Lord Voldemort took him from the graveyard and brought him to Malfoy Manor._**

 ** _Slave collars, an antiquated practice, is a customizable restraint on the person wearing it that usually severely limits their power. But it seems lord Voldemort did not place those restraints on the collar, as Harry had managed to escape him, avoid detection for years, and fight against his death eaters to the full extent of his powers. So, readers, take heed, because although Harry Potter wears a slave collar he is just as dangerous as without._**

 **TBC**

…...

Everyone in the palace was still sleeping when the Riddle children woke at the crack of dawn. They'd been too excited from the unexpected show last night; though the party had ended early, many only went to bed at the wee hours of morning, too busy gossiping and atwitter with excitement. In preparation for their sleeping guests, Harry had an afternoon brunch set up for the guests out in the veranda. The house elves were currently putting up decorations and getting a group of centaurs ready to provide entertainment. But Tom saw how tired Harry was in the morning so he put Lucius in charge of hosting the brunch later and closed off a moderate dining room for his family for their breakfast. He'd called back Salazar and Hadrian under express instructions to not mention the Umbridge woman in Harry's presence.

He sat at the head of the table being served by the elves with Harry by his side. Salazar, Hadrian, Teddy, James and Lily sat off to his left while Alfred, the twins, and Cerise sat by Harry as he bounced an irritable Orion in his arms. Unlike the other Riddles, the youngest was not a morning person and let everyone know.

It as almost as if nothing of note had happened last night. With one warning glare, Tom discouraged the children from mentioning the Umbridge woman. Each of them filed into the room with a fierce hug for Harry before sitting down in front of their plates. Teddy and James were lost in their own world, talking animatedly about the newest broom to hit the markets. Neither Lily nor Alfred engaged in small talk, quietly stabbing at their food with their forks and taking small sips of their pumpkin juice. Tom didn't feel like he should have to coddle them; they should get over what they had seen. He knew they'd seen worst on those muggle movies they'd sneaked off to see in London.

Everyone's attention jerked to Lily when she shrieked and jumped into her seat in an undignified squat. The twins couldn't help their snickers. At Harry's glare, they pouted.

"What? It's just a joke," Reggie whined.

Rom nodded in agreement. "She was being all jumpy and fell from the bed this morning when Nagini came to wake us up."

As one, all except Lily and Harry, the Riddles looked down to see Nagini coiled by the twins legs. A few bits of food lay by their feet.

"Rom, Reggie, you are not leaving your seats until you have at least six florets of broccoli." Harry lifted his wand and before the twins could scramble up, green vines wrapped around their legs and waist. Twin cries of "mommy" sounded but Harry ignored them in favor of taking a bite of his omelet.

Tom grumbled but not because of the twins. "How come I can't use that spell?"

"Because you'll abuse it and use it on them constantly," Harry said in exasperation.

The twins tugged desperate at their binds. Rom even tired taking a bite out of the vines only to gag in alarm. "Mommy, this tastes like broccoli!"

Hadrian snickered, and even Lily smiled wanly. Tom took in her pale and wan appearance, her freckles standing out in stark relief, with just a niggling of concern. Dark circles underlined her dulled green eyes. This was new territory for him. His eldest three boys, even James, weren't this sensitive so he was at a loss as to how to deal with his daughter.

"Lily."

Her eyes jerked to his, with the full expectation that she was in trouble. "Yes, father?"

"You know Nagini won't eat you."

"Tom!" Harry groaned beside him before turning to Lily. "What he means is you are perfectly safe with Nagini and if you want to talk about last night then we're here to listen."

Reggie stopped with his struggles and looked up in interest. "Why are we talking about Nagini eating Lily? Did she try to eat Lily last night?" He looked down and patted his thighs. Nagini slithered close and rested her great head on his lap. " _Nagini, did you eat anybody last night?"_

Before she could answer, Harry spoke up. _"Nagini, silence! And please don't eat what the twins feed you. You'll get sick again."_

Rom slapped his hand on the black marble table in excitement, almost bouncing off his seat. "So, she did eat somebody! Who'd she eat? Was it Uncle Draco? He held us against our will, papa!"

Around a mouthful of broccoli smothered in cheese-where did they get that cheese, and in such a hideous shade of yellow too? Tom hadn't seen any of the elves serve that-Reggie mumbled "If anyone should get eaten he should."

"When did Malfoy put his hands on you?" Tom growled.

With a wave of his wand, Harry made the glob of yellow cheese smothering the broccoli pieces disappear. "It was nothing Tom. The twins cast the medusa curse on Cerise and she cast an itching spell on their clothes so they went running out the room naked. Thankfully Draco found them before they could go on a flashing spree. And don't you think I've forgiven you for the curse."

"But mommy, we said we were sorry!" The twins said in perfect unison.

Salazar, looking extremely put out that he wasn't to have a silent meal slid out his wand from his wrist holster and pointed it at the twins. Two broccoli florets were shoved into their mouths, shutting them up. But the little ones continued to try to speak around the broccoli only to find their lips practically glued around it. It was either eat it or have it stuck in their mouths.

Taking out her own wand, Lily cast a deafening spell on the twins and Cerise, who couldn't care more. She was too busy eating strawberries and cutting up her omelet into the shape of a dragon. "Mom, I'm fine. I was just taken by surprise, it all happened so fast. I'm not really scared of Nagini."

"It's perfectly fine to fear what Nagini did. It was terrible and you shouldn't have had to see that. For which your father is very sorry," Harry looked to Tom in expectation.

The older wizard raised a brow but none the less nodded. "It is unfortunate you saw that but a Slytherin does not let insults to their name stand."

"I agree, so get it over with," Salazar chimed in caustically.

He grunted lowly when Hadrian elbowed his side. "Shut up, Sally. Not everyone has the emotional range of a troll like you."

"Clever," Salazar drawls. With a casual flick of his finger, one of the broccoli on Reggie's plate went flying into Hadrian's mouth. The boy almost choked on it before coughing it out on the table.

"Boys! I am not above putting you both into time out, adults or not!" Harry snapped. Orion cried out and Harry turned all his attention of his baby. He bounced him up and down in place.

They were saved from further altercations when an owl flew into the room. It dropped a rolled-up newspaper in front of Tom. The brown speckled bird landed in front of Alfred, who fed it bits of his bread roll. The twins tried to entice it to take some of their broccoli off their plates but they got pecked by the bird's sharp beak. Teddy and James finally broke out of their little bubble and looked over to Tom with interest, James with a slight frown marring his handsome features.

"Why are you getting the Daily Prophet?" James asked.

Ignoring his son for now, Tom pulled open the string and let the parchment roll open. An article on last night's festivities stared up him. A small hand written note at the corner of the paper read "enjoy". Curious, Harry reached across his plate and put his hand over the article to pull the paper to him before Tom could stop him. As soon as his hand touched on it, the ink swirled together before forming a completely different article. Harry snatched his hand away with a sharp intake of breath to see written in bold letters The Making of a Tragedy. And under the title was a moving picture of Harry, with one corner of his lip split and deep indentations of teeth marks embedded into his neck and shoulder, still rusty with dried blood. The marks and cuts faded as Severus Snape waved his wand over Harry's face. The clip played repeatedly, an injured Harry to a healed one and then back again. A vicious cycle.

Tom snatched it up and began quickly scanning the article. His face growing darker by every word. Too engrossed with the article, he didn't notice as ten more owls flew into the room and dropped the same newspaper in front of each of ten inhabitants of the room. Harry quickly snatched up the articles from in front of the twins and Cerise, but he was too slow to get it from the others. Alfred grasped at the roll and stood from the table, walking a few steps away. He cried out in distress when his hands touched the paper and the picture of Harry appeared, before horrified eyes darted to Harry.

"Mom?" Alfred breathed, his lower lip trembling. Harry clutched at his collar and shook his head. He looked over to his older children. They were all reading the article, even Teddy. Salazar glanced up and caught Harry's eye, his face oddly blank. But Hadrian had a death grip on the table before him, the other wrinkling the paper in his hands in his white knuckled grip.

It was Teddy's look of pity and sympathy that broke Harry. "Tom?" The green-eyed wizard turned to Tom, no longer able to face his children.

The older wizard crumpled the paper before he burned it in his hand. He stormed from the room, scattering the ash from the paper in his wake and leaving Harry to deal with the aftermath. Hsi wand was lifted and casting the spell before Harry knew it, and all the papers burst into flames. Lily hissed and shook her hands as the paper almost burned her fingers. She stuck her finger into her mouth to soothe the sting. An apology was tripping off Harry's tongue when he saw that his spell had been defected by Hadrian, who had his wand out in a defensive stance but was still glaring at the picture. So Harry followed in Tom's steps apparated out of the room with Orion screeching in his arms.

...


	9. Chapter 9

Fanfic was giving me trouble uploading ch 9, so broke it up in two installments. So party 2 of ch 9 will be labeled ch 10 FYI

also, I love reading your comments and wish there was a way I could reply back (idk if there is, I'm new on this site). I ready every one and they really encourage me to write and let me know what you like/dislike.

...

Chapter 9 (pt 1)

"Sir, we can't seem to find Ri-"a scream cut off his words as the death eater fell writhing to the floor from a Crucio.

"Crucio, Crucio, CRUCIO!" Tom exploded as an intense burst from his elder wand cast the spell on everyone in the room. He ignored their cries, extending the spell as complete bloodlust overtook him. He was deterred from killing everyone in the room when Fenrir apparated into the empty warehouse with a crack.

"Uh, am I interrupting something important?"

Hissing, Tom ended the spell. "Yes, you insufferable beast. Unless you have anything useful, you'll meet the same end."

The werewolf tiptoed over the twitching bodies as he walked closer to Tom's throne. "Blondie and baby Blondie told me they've stopped publication of the morning paper. The editor said he had no idea that was being published. Said he only saw the fake story, Dolohov didn't see the real article either. Said something about a spell that hid the real story or something."

That made sense, and it was clever. Once the head editor sends a story to the publication floor, no human hands touch the paper. Still hot from the press, owls deliver it right to the hands of wizards. The article only appeared once Harry had touched it, and the same happened when Alfred touched his paper. But that was already out, what concerned him more were the books.

"And the books? Did Crouch get there in time?"

"Twitchy said he shut down the store and tracked this warehouse as the only one keeping the spare ones. Burned the lot of them at the store. Almost burned the store down too. Ya think he's a closet arsonist?" When Tom continued to glare at him, Fenrir cleared his throats and became serious again. "You're lucky they were gonna release the books at midnight and not this morning. They already had lines of you magic folk at the store."

"Have Barty track down all the early release books and kill them. And I want the ones waiting at the store all captured and brought to the ministry. Have the trainees practice on them." Tom said lowly.

Looking surprised, Fenrir took an unconscious step back. "Uh, sure you wanna be doin' that? All of 'em?"

Tom bared his teeth dangerously. "All of them, you flea infested mutt. I want them all killed! Now!"

The werewolf nodded hastily, not wanting to set the wizard off more than he already was. A large hand cupped his healed throat. If Tom had tortured him with silver last night for a few jokes, then the alpha could only imagine what Tom would do for this.  
Tom turned from the werewolf and paced among his fallen minions. He didn't believe in coincidences. He didn't believe in fate. Harry said he was too practical, too egotistical, too controlling to believe in a force independent of his rule.

He'd found this warehouse by sheer, dumb luck and was that a blow to his pride. He'd dispatched a half dozen death eaters to this warehouse because it had been one of the addresses Umbridge confessed. They had only waited and monitored the warehouse, to see if any of the W.A.N.D.S. members would come. The place had been heavily warded, but they hadn't wanted to bother their dark lord over a trifling warehouse. Of course, once Tom found out the warehouse held those cursed books, he'd crucio'd the lot of them.

As soon as he'd left his family at breakfast, he'd gathered his closest advisors and quickly sent them off to do damage control. He'd wanted to look through all their minds to see if any of them had betrayed him but he hadn't had the time. Lucius interviewed the editor of the Daily Prophet and from here they'd gone through all written records of Rita Skeeter before tracking the book down to Flourish and Botts. Tom apparated there immediately to find the infernal woman's book. From the terrified owner, he'd learned there was one other store, The Bookworms' Corner, that was also releasing the books and sent Barty to that store to destroy the other books.

"Get out..." When no one moved, Tom screamed out loud. The angry cry echoed in the now empty warehouse. "GET OUT!" They all scurried to obey, some reduced to crawling on their knees and bellies. Even Fenrir who finally realized the man was at the edge of his sanity, made a hasty retreat and left the dark lord alone.

He needed to calm down. The easy solution would be to burn everything and everyone down with feindfyre but then he'd have no one to torture for this. And then of course there was Harry's ire to consider.

No, he had to be calm. Being impulsive and trigger happy hadn't gotten him to where he was. He needed to think, to plan, to gain intel. The fact that he had been surprised with an article that should have never been written, let alone published was alarming. He had death eaters everywhere, and specially at the daily prophet monitoring what was being written and manipulating the tone the stories were told in. If he happened to kill a group of wizards for vexing him, they wrote that off as an Order resurgent mounting an attack on the ministry. If certain prominent members of society went missing, his spies slandered their name until even their families turned their backs on them. But those minions hadn't heard a whisper of this.

And the book? Tom glared daggers at the innocuous thing resting in his hands. He'd kept one copy before burning the rest. This thing had the power to tear down nations. He didn't have to read it to know he was not going to like the contents. How it had even been published was worrisome. The only lead he had was Umbridge. With an impatient growl, he apparated out of the warehouse and to the ministry.

He traveled directly into the lowest level inside the heavily warded white room. The death eater guards startled at his sudden appearance, their wands drawn out and at the ready with spells and hexes tripping from hasty tongues. With an impatient wave of his wand, he disarmed them and walked straight to the woman in the middle of the room.

"My lord, should I call Pa-," Tom flung the man against the wall, barely noticing the crunch of a head hitting tile then crumpling to the ground in a lifeless heap. Another death eater went to check on the man's pulse.

Biting back an irritable growl, Tom pointed at the fallen man and transferred him to the infirmary. "Get out, all of you." The command was low, full of authority and they instantly obeyed. Once he was left alone in the room with her, Tom exhaled and let his eyes bleed red.

Umbridge, her hands tied by an invisible forced and lifted over her head tottered on her tiptoes. Her head lolled to the side, clumps of hair missing from her head and her face battered beyond recognition. Ugly masses of uneven skin not yet properly healed adorned her entire body. Her clothes hung in a tattered mess over her misshaped body. Her shoulder had popped out at one time and one of her legs was bent at an odd angle. Low moans of distress intermittently left her swollen lips.

He paced over to the potions table and returned to Umbridge with an opalescent vial in hand. Cupping her cheek almost gently, he tipped her head back and fed her the potion. Murky brown eyes cleared of pain, blinking up at him rapidly. When he'd probed her mind before, he'd worked over her defenses to get what he'd wanted. But he'd had specific requirements in mind when he'd gone looking through her mind. He couldn't exactly waste time looking through all her memories.

From this close, he could see small pink dots uniformly marring her former clear complexion. They looked a bit swollen, standing out from the rest of the skin with a slight convex curve.

Leaning in closer, he whispered directly into her ear. "I am only going to ask this once. What do you know about Rita Skeeter and her book?"

"M-my l-lo-lord, I k-know no-nothing, ah-I c-ca-ame ha-here to-"

Through with the niceties, Tom grabbed her head in both hands and viciously tore into her mind. He callously discarded each memory as he came across it, permanently damaging more and more of her psyche as he stormed through. Abruptly he came to a distorted memory, the images playing slowly and the sounds sluggish and distorted, as if the audio was coming from underwater. The image blurred in and out. He saw Skeeter, Umbridge and a few others in a meeting. But they weren't the ones who stood out. A man with bright red hair and freckles across his face looked nervously around the room. Umbridge turned from Rita and sneered at the man.

"You are sure this will work? A Weasley like you…" the words became lost in a low buzz as the man lost his uncertainly and stood up confidently, before canting an unfamiliar spell and a wash of light blue filled the room. The memory dissolved then, just as quickly as he'd found it. He tried frantically to grasp at it but as he searched for more, found nothing but blanks. She had somehow been obliviated! No magic could enter the white room but it seemed as if The instant he'd seen that memory, someone had obligated her from a distance. Finding that memory had been a trigger. But he'd never heard of such magic.

Pulling out of her mind with a snarl, he flung himself from her. A dopey smile overtook her grotesque face.

"Hello, where am I? Why am I hung up here?" She simpered so pathetically. Tom turned to her with a growl. She was useless to him now.

The invisible cord holding her up snapped in half and her body crumpled to the floor in a gross parody of a marionette cut from its strings. She squeaked in surprise as she looked at her leg, the limb twisted and broken from her abrupt fall. A bit of jagged bone poked out from a large gash on her calf but only when she touched a curious finger to her bone did she scream. Short staccato screams, she took a deep breath between each and was half way to passing out from lack of air. Tom grasped her hair, or what was left of it and pulled her up until her toes dangled inches from the ground and her hands scratched at at his wrist.

"Excoricopellis!"

He dropped her at his feet and watched dispassionately as strips of her skin began peeling off, as if invisible fingers pricked at the thin layer and ever so slowly pulled back. Umbridge choked on her panic, her frantic hands trying to smooth down her skin but she was no match for his magic. Strips peeled off from her face, muscles and tendons resisting futilely against the invisible force. Pain flared at her every nerve ending and the only thing she could do was scream. Strips came off from her eyelid, leaving her eyes bulging. Blood poured into the defenseless opening, blinding her in a blanket of blood, but the sting to her eyeballs was minuscule compared to the rest of what she was feeling. Strips fell around her pain stricken body like red confetti, and the pile continued to grow in a bloody mound. Slowly, inch by inch, minute by minute, the first layer of skin fell off, then the second layer started to strip off, and then the third layer of skin and so on until a thin film of red covered her exposed bones. She was long dead but Tom continued to watch the macabre show until a bloody skeleton and loose organs lay cushioned among shavings of skin.

He cast feindfyre over the refuse but kept it contained until the demonic fire consumed all of the dead body then stopped the spell. It must have taken hours. And he'd watched it all without as much as a twinge of emotion. No disgust, no satisfaction, nothing…. just a yawning emptiness that grew and grew until it threatened to consume him in its ravenous hunger.

The body was gone, the blood was gone. Not even scorch marks on the tile left remnants of the woman. He saw white, an endless white and he was one small, black smear in the pristine pureness of the room. All alone.

….

 **Excerpt from The Making of a Tragedy by Rita Skeeter**

 ** _The name Thomas Marvolo Riddle is little known to many. We know our Dark Lord as Lord Marvolo Riddle, Lord Voldemort, Heir to Slytherin. But on more than one occasion Lord Harry has called him "Tom" and I have wondered why only he can call the dark lord as such. There was an instance a few years ago when a the dark lord killed an Order member when the foolish man called him Thomas. I wondered why he has such an aversion to his given name. So, I investigated and unearthed a history so dark, so terrible that it will leave you immobile. I, dear readers, have discovered the great lord's childhood._**

 ** _With great skill, I recovered Albus Dumbledore's pensive memories from his home and his office at Hogwarts during the chaos of the final battle in Hogwarts. I risked life and limb but with my magic I escaped the death eaters who scoured the place after it fell. And from ministry documents I have pieced together the blank pages of this story. And I have kept it from you, dear readers, just waiting for the right moment to release it._**

 ** _Thomas Marvolo Riddle, Jr. was born to a poor witch who used an illegal love potion to trick a muggle, a Mr. Thomas Riddle, Sr. into marrying her and conceived the dark lord. As we all know from sixth year potions, love potions are highly volatile and children born of love potions are usually born squibs because of the love potion mixing with the affected party. But in a few instances, there are perfectly normal wizards born. But our dark lord is neither of those things._**

 ** _His mother pinned away from her love of the muggle. She had released him from the potion, thinking he would love her after all those years and stay for her and Tom, as the dark lord was called back then. The muggle, however, left her to starve to death._**

 ** _A neighbor that came to investigate the smell coming from their small house found Tom, nursing at the dead woman's breast. It had been a week since she died. The neighbor took the child to the town doctor. How the baby survived, to this day, the doctor does not know. Child services were called and they tracked Tom's remaining parent to Mr. Riddle Sr. through a marriage certificate and Tom's birth certificate. However, the muggle denied parentage and turned the official and baby Tom away._**

 ** _Tom was given to a muggle orphanage, St. Bartholomew's Orphanage. There the boy spent most of his formative years. He was a sickly boy, prone to a hacking cough during the colder months. The caretakers at the orphanage did not think he would survive too long. The few couples that came to adopt him left with haunted eyes, always saying there was something wrong about the child._**

 ** _The child acted out in the orphanage. He mostly kept to himself and rarely interacted with the other children. The younger ones tended to avoid him but the older ones were curious. I did a few interviews with some the older and younger children who went to the orphanage. Tom had odd habits. He would stay up the entire night, going into the forest and coming back with dirty clothes. He would talk to himself having full conversations, hearing things the other children did not. He stole from the other children, he was disruptive in class, he got into numerous fights with many of the children, the list goes on and on._**

 ** _As a magical child, his magic acted up when he was agitated or angry. Often, the fights would involve some form of magical retaliation. One woman told me Tom had made all her hair fall out. Another confided that Tom made all his nails fall off. Another found a nest of spiders hatching inside his ears. Things escalated from there on._**

 ** _There was a teacher named Gregory Allen who grew tired of the countless fights and complaints. So, he took Tom in hand. And here is where it gets dark, my fellow readers. I tracked him down at his death bed and with a few spells, uncovered the truth._**

 ** _Mr. Allen was a muggle who had previously been employed as a priest at a conversion camp for homosexuals. He reported to me that he had found the methods he used to be effective on unruly youth and so applied them to Tom. He suspected that some form of the devil had inhabited the boy. Everyone knew the story of how Tom had been found. Many of the other children admitted to teasing Tom, some hearing that he had been eating her face off to sustain himself and calling him corpse baby. On particular cruel prank had been when a few of the older children bought a fake skeleton and put it next to Tom while he slept. The next day, the entire orphanage fell sick, the only one left unscathed was Tom._**

 ** _Because of how he was found, Mr. Allen suspected that when death come to take his mother's soul, something demonic went inside Tom to use as a host. Now my dear readers I know this sounds silly but muggles have their own beliefs and they view anything magical as something to fear._**

 ** _So Mr. Allen began weekly sessions with Tom. It started out small with reading penances and writing lines. But Tom's behavior progressively worsened, and with it came more punishments. He would be left alone inside an airless and lightless room for hours, then days when he hurt another child at the orphanage. When Tom set fire to a shed, Mr. Allen brought out the leather whip and gave several lashes across Tom's hands. He alternated that with beating the bottom of Tom's feet with a wooden paddle then making him stand and recite bible verses for hours on end._**

 ** _When a child was found coughing up blood, Tom was blamed. Mr. Allen brought in equipment that has a muggle discovery called electricity. Muggles usually use this for many day to day things like light or washing or cooking. But this equipment generated the electricity and transfers it to two rods that are placed one a person's head. Mr. Allen informed me it is called electro shock therapy._**

 ** _I have included a picture of the machine, found dilapidated at the home of Mr. Allen._**

 ** _He used the machine on Tom many times. And that helped for some time. Tom became even more of a recluse. That was when his Slytherin blood made its appearance. He began talking to snakes. Weeks later, children reported that they had been bitten by snakes or found snakes in their bed or belongings._**

 ** _Mr. Allen followed Tom around and found him in the middle of talking to a snake. The muggle killed the snake and grabbed up Tom to administer increased levels of electro shock therapy. But something changed that day. Mr. Allen, at the time began seizing up and we had to stop the interview. I discovered from old records from the orphanage that a great portion of the orphanage burned down that very same night._**

 ** _Mr. Allen and a few other children and adults had been caught in that fire. Two of the younger kids died from smoke inhalation and three adults had to be hospitalized with minor burns. The right Side of Mr. Allen's face was burned off and he was left with permanent burn scars. I have included a picture of the muggle below._**

 ** _After that day, everyone gave Tom a wide berth. After Mr. Allen's recovery, he came back and avoided Tom too. But then he began experiencing nightmares of gruesome dead people coming and dragging him to hell. Mr. Allen accused Tom of the dreams. So, he called in a few colleagues who were experienced with a muggle practice called exorcism._**

 ** _Mr. Allen described the ritual to me. They tied Tom down to the bed and intoned from a religious book. Here, Mr. Allen refused to say anything and began seizing up again. This author surmises something terrible must have happened. He refused to speak more on this subject, or anything else to me at all._**

 ** _This would have been the end of my investigation but as you know, dear reader, this author does not stop when she meets an obstacle. She overcomes it._**

 ** _So, I tracked down a few of the teachers, caretakers, even employees such as maids, cooks, butlers but they all told me the same things I'd been told or found out myself before. But during my investigation, a woman came to me. Her name is Mary Morstan. Mrs. Morstan was married to the village butcher and they often donated meats for the orphanage during holidays and children's birthdays. Mr. Morstan, a previous child from the orphanage also did chores for the orphanage, such as fixing up small things and lending the orphanage his car for transportation. Mrs. Morstan baked pies and cakes for the children as well, so both were there during that day._**

 ** _It was a few months after the fire. Mr. Morstan helped rebuild the orphanage. He was called that day, and he merely thought he was being called to finish up a quick repair or to transport new building material or furniture. Mrs. Morstan, though not invited tagged along with her husband to deliver a new batch of baked goods._**

 ** _But when she arrived, she was pulled aside by the orphanage cook. The other woman took the cookies she baked and took them to the kitchen, saying she wanted to save them for after the lunch time meal. It was an odd behavior. Whenever Mrs. Morstan brought any sweets, they were given out by her hand the instance she brought them. Mrs. Morstan confided to me she started that tradition because she did not trust the orphanage employees not to keep the sweets for themselves._**

 ** _Wanting to wait for her husband, she went to visit the children. During their play, she heard some frantic shouts from upstairs. The other caretakers pointedly ignored it and urged her to do the same. But she became curious and sneaked away with the excuse to use the bathroom. Snooping around, she saw some men and her husband outside. She only recognized Mr. Allen among the group, the others were strangers. Without their knowing, she followed them outside._**

 ** _The group of men went to the Morstan car and put a large sack in the trunk. They left her husband before leaving. She asked him later what they wanted and he explained they merely wanted the use of his car to transport some goods. Mr. Morstan left her and went to work on some repairs while Mrs. Morstan went to play with the children._**

 ** _It was growing dark into the evening and still their car did not return. The couple grew concerned. They decided to stay until night, as they needed the car for deliveries for work in the morning. They stayed inside, watching the driveway for their familiar car. A few hours later, coming up the driveway they saw a dark figure. Too small to be an adult, but too big to be an animal. Mrs. Morstan went outside and coming towards her out of the veil of the night, was Tom. Shivering with cold, his clothes were dripping with water. His hair was plastered to his head and covered half his face but even so Mrs. Morstan reported seeing red eyes stare at nothing. She later dismissed that as a trick on the night but as we all know the dark lord does indeed possess red eyes. He collapsed in her arms and the doctor had to be called. He had a high fever and later contracted pneumonia. I dug through numerous medical records in the late doctors' records and found an anonymous report of a John Doe that matched the year and description of the event._**

 ** _The car, nor the men, came back that day. Mr. Allen sent a letter of resignation a day later. Mr. Morstan found his car a week later, abandoned near an obscure clearing next to the town lake. A month later, four bodies floated into the dock of a local businessman. The authorities traced the path of the dead men to the lake, reporting that the murders had occurred in the forest surround the lake and then dumped in the large body of water. Mrs. Morstan told me she suspected those men were the same men she saw that day at the orphanage though she never saw the faces of the dead men. The murders were never solved._**

 ** _Soon, Albus Dumbledore, then a professor at Hogwarts came to investigate the boy. Dumbledore, concerned at the behavior exhibited, was wary to invite the boy to Hogwarts. But it was his duty and so he introduced the wonderful world of magic to Tom, and the boy took to it like a mermaid to water. The orphanage was relieved when they were told Tom would be going away to a school for special children. For them their prayers had been answered. They asked no questions of Dumbledore, practically shoved the odd boy out the orphanage doors into the company of a virtual stranger._**

 **Tbc**  
…..


	10. Chapter 10

Ch 9 pt 2

…..

"Mother, tell me these are lies. Exaggerations. This-this picture is Severus helping you after an order member attacked you. Mother!" Hadrian banged against Harry's closed doors. They weren't warded closed but he'd never invade his mother's personal rooms without invitation.

"Mother, open the bloody door!" He didn't mean to, but this time when he banged with both hands his magic, usually under his control, thrust the doors wide with a powerful gust of air and cleared a perimeter of about twenty feet into the suite. Furniture were all pushed to the walls. Sparking glass shattered from the chandeliers above rained down in front of him. Harry opened his bedroom door and looked on at the chaos in dismay. Hadrian hadn't lost control like this since he'd been a teen. He'd worked so hard to keep this under control. Harry hurried to Hadrian and reached to his face.

"Hadrian, I need you look at me, okay, look at me. It's okay, I'm here now, you're okay," Harry chanting, trying to make them both believe it. Hadrian looked down at his mother with terrified eyes. But not for himself, for Harry.

"Mother," he croaked, before stumbling forward and shoving his face into Harry's neck. "Please tell me it's not true, please…" Hadrian sobbed out, clenching his mother's body tighter, near to cutting off his air flow. But Harry didn't mind. He ran his hands through Hadrian's hair, as pitch black as Tom's with the same wildness of all Potters. Magic still cracked around the room dangerously.

Salazar stood behind them, unable to enter the room with all the force Hadrian was exerting. Hadrian couldn't handle his other siblings right now here with him. When he became like this, he only let Harry near him, the only person who could soothe him at times like this. He faintly heard running footsteps, then Lily and Alfred skidding to a stop as Salazar held out an arm to stop them from hurting themselves.

Hadrian tried, he really did as he forced himself to lower the shield he'd put up a around Harry and him. They weren't in danger; his brothers and sister would never hurt Harry. They were family. Harry had drilled it into their head countless times family didn't hurt family when the twins cursed Salazar or Cerise with a spell or when Cerise physically attacked Rom and Reggie or when Salazar sent him a stinging curse. Family didn't hurt family. But what the article said, what the picture insinuated, what his own father's angry disappearance told him was different. His mother's own silence was condemning.

His father, a man he looked up to had done something terrible and his mother had stayed. And Hadrian blamed himself, he blamed his siblings. For what other reason did Harry have not to leave his abuser. The haunted look in Harry's eyes, the urgency with which he'd fled the breakfast room to his suite said it all. It filled in all the terrible suspicions Hadrian had, it told him more than what those words and that single picture screamed to anyone with half a brain.

His question was rhetorical. He already had his answer and Harry had given it to him by his silence.

"…Hadrian, you're safe, we're safe. I love you…. you are loved.. and safe…Hadrian, come back to me…"

Slowly, so very slowly Hadrian relaxed. He didn't let go of Harry, instead he slowly lowered the shield. Salazar took a tentative step into the room before deeming it safe and let go of Lily and Alfred. The fiery girl ran to Hadrian and Harry, flung herself at them and hugging them both.

"Oh Hadrian." Lily nuzzled into his arm but he took no notice of her.

Harry struggled to look over Hadrian's shoulder. He could practically feel the guilt wafting off his mother's chilled skin.

"Salazar, Alfred, where are the twins and Cerise?"

"I called Daphne to keep them company." After a bit of hesitation, Salazar added "As soon as father left, he dispatched the deaths eaters to destroy all the papers entering the palace." Hadrian was glad she his older brother didn't mention a shield had gone up over the grounds and burned all birds carrying the newspaper. Hundreds of dead owls lay in a perfect ring surround Slytherin palace. Salazar directed some death eaters to clean up the mess before Hadrian stormed after Harry.

"And James? Where is he now?"

"With Teddy. The werewolf took him out into the grounds, a dozen death eaters have been dispatched to follow them."

Harry smiled wanly and wiggled out a hand, before beckoning Salazar forward. Hadrian pulled back a bit to make it easier for Harry. His mother cupped Salazar's jaw in a lingering caress in thanks before looking over them both. His gaze flickered to Lily and Alfred before he pulled his arms back and curled them over his stomach.

"I never wanted you to see that. It was a dark time for me" Harry finally whispered.

"Father did that to you." Hadrian started.

Harry tipped his head in the barest of nods.

"You looked like you were in your teens. You told us the Father took you from the Orders control when you were still at Hogwarts. You said you had Salazar when you were a teen. Did father hurt you all that time? Does he hate you for fighting for the Order? You were a child, you didn't know how treacherous the Order was!" Hadrian snarled, pacing away from them. Lily held out her harm to hold him back but he shrugged her off.

"Hadrian, no…its complicated. There was a misunderstanding-,"

Hadrian took out his crumbled newspaper, the single one Salazar hadn't taken and being and shoved the image in Harry face. "This is a misunderstanding? A misunderstanding is when Salazar hexes me when thinks I haven't turned in my report when he's just misplaced it. That's a misunderstanding. This…this is abuse. This is torture, god, mother, what did father do to you?" Desperate Hadrian surged forward and took Harry's shoulders in his hands and shook. When Harry cried out in surprise, Hadrian took a quick step back with his eyes wide.

This was the first time he'd touch Harry with a rough hand. He knew his mother was a powerful wizard, his name inspired awe in witches and wizards all over the world. But Hadrian always touched him with a delicate hand, because to him Harry was his mother, not this powerful wizard everyone seemed to know. To him, Harry was gentle and loving and he would be treated accordingly.

He was horrified that he could hurt Harry.

It was the blood running through is veins, his father's blood. The blood of a monster.

Sorrowful green eyes met his and Hadrian lost it. His mother would never tell him. He lunged forward and did something unforgivable. He tried to look into Harry's mind, looking for things his mother would never tell him. But before he even had the chance to see one memory, Salazar punched him in the face and sent him sprawling to the carpeted floor.

"Hadrian!" Harry screamed, followed by the screams of Lily and Alfred. He fell over Hadrian in a fanatic heap of worry, his hands running over his face and gingerly touching at his abused jaw. It was already beginning to swell from the punch.

"God, I'm sorry. I'm just like him, aren't I?" Hadrian asked miserably. But no matter how much he may be hating himself, he still took comfort in Harry's soothing hands like the greedy boy he was. He remembered as a child how jealous he'd be when a young Salazar took away Harry's attention. He'd act out, force a shield between Salazar and Harry until Salazar walked away with stiff shoulders and Harry murmured and shushed him. Like he was doing so now. He was the one apologizing, as if Hadrian hadn't been the one to mentally attack him. Saying it wasn't his fault.

But it was his fault.

Hadrian inhaled his mother's scent one last time before gazing into the emerald green orbs. "I'm sorry, I'll hope you forgive me." With that Hadrian apparated out of the palace to a small clearing. He made a slash on his wrist and when the blood welled generously, he cast the familiar spell to track his father down. The ministry. It was fortunate he came to a clearing where the palace thestrals were grazing in the grass, still dewy and wet from the morning mist. When he'd made his first kill at thirteen, his mother had brushed the tears off his cheeks and brought him to them. Harry had shown him the wonderful beasts and he'd forgotten all about the terrible thing he'd accidentally done.

He approached one at random. They didn't shy away from him, they knew him. This herd had been transferred from the Riddle manor to here for the week. The beast allowed him to mount it. Great black wings unfurled and they were off, headed to the ministry. It was all a blur. They cut through the sky at a neck breaking speed and before he knew it the thestral landed on top of the ministry building.

He ignored all the people, that tried to stop him as he emerged into the building. He went straight for the ground level and before he knew it, stark white doors stood between him and his father. He shoved them open none too gently and shot a curse blindly into the room.

He purposefully missed, hit the wall right above Tom's shoulder but it got him his father's attention. Umbridge was nowhere to be seen but Hadrian was more concerned about his father.

"You missed."

"Consider it a warning shot. Tell me what you did to mother."

Tom tilted his head to the side and looked him up and down. He felt like a specimen being examined and found lacking. Hadrian bristled.

"Ask him yourself."

"I did. He defended you."

Tom chuckled without mirth. "Always the self-sacrificing type, your mother. He never understood his own value, so quick to put other above him."

"It seems neither did you if you could do this to him!" Hadrian flung his own copy of the paper at Tom. Before the crumpled ball could fall to the floor, Tom levitated it to himself and smoothed out it out. He looked dispassionately at the picture before setting fire to it.

"I have done much worse to him."

Hadrian snarled and sent a cutting hex, which Tom easily dodged. His aim was skewed due to his anger, his magic struggling to be contained in his mortal body. His hands trembled from the power of it and for once Hadrian did not to wish to leash it. He wanted his magic free, free to lash out at Tom.

Tom hit back with his own curses, a few hitting Hadrian but it only caused minimal damage. It incensed him that the hexes were only meant to slow him down, as if Tom didn't think him worthy of a real fight. By now, if anyone else had attacked, Tom would have had them begging for their lives. A small, rational part of him reasoned that he was his son, that Tom wouldn't want to hurt him. But another, more sinister part goaded Hadrian. This man had also put those bruises and cuts on Harry.

The man Hadrian knew was his father, distant but still his father. It was hard reconciling the man he'd looked up to, a father he loved to the man who caused Harry so much injury. He needed Tom to attack him, to show Hadrian that he was right to think that his father was the villain of this story. That would make it easier for Hadrian to play the hero and vanquish the villain. But those were the thought of a boy; real life rarely stayed in strict shades of black and white. And in this story no one was the hero or villain.

Hadrian concocted a poisonous cloud but Tom defended himself with summoned form of a snake. The transparent creature had wings that blew gusts of air and blew his cloud back at him. Hadrian threw up a shield around himself and set fire to the cloud, which reached the spelled creature and burned through the body. Tom used the smoke as a cloak as he apparated inside the room to different locations before appearing behind Hadrian and hit him with a spell.

Hadrian screamed in pain as he fell to his knees, the burn curse shooting over his every nerve.

Standing over his fallen son, Tom bared his teeth and hissed. "I value him above all else, even you children; so do not say I do not know his value."

"But not more than yourself. Tell me, why did you do it? Because he killed a few of your deaths eaters when he was in the Order? Because he opposed you? Tell me!" Hadrian hissed through gritted teeth. It was his father that taught him to never let his enemies see him on his knees lest they come under the impression he could be brought to his knees in the first place. It set a dangerous precedent. But it was his mother that taught him those who faced their weakness were unbeatable, because they knew where to defend themselves. Knowing their weakness, knowing what they could loose, made them all the more determined. And Harry had proved to him determination beat out sheer power every day. He was living proof of that.

"Because he is mine." Tom turned from him, utterly dismissing him as he headed for the exit. Hadrian shot a spell at the doors and the seams of the doors melted into the walls until they were in a completely secluded room.

"No! No, he is not yours. He is not property!" Hadrian shot to his feet and let out a burst of energy that pushed Tom against the walls. The explosion loosened some of the white tile, a piece flying in the air and striking Tom in his forehead. A large gash split into his eyebrow.

"His collar says otherwise." Tom said as he reached up and fingered the dripping blood. He brought his fingers in front of him and scrutinized the fluid, rubbing it in between his fingers. He glared up at his son and sent a cutting hex that caught Hadrian unaware. Large slashes appeared on his chest and thighs. Hadrian staggered back, but his magic was pulsing throughout his entire body. He felt nothing, only a burning hatred and a need to expel all of it.

"Then I will destroy it, after I finish with you."

Tom hit him with another curse that Hadrian was quick to deflect. "Learn your place boy. I am the dark lord, and you a mere child playing dress up. You understand nothing. You are too soft. Harry coddled you."

"Don't dare speak his name, you don't deserve him. You bastard!" Hadrian dropped his wand. While wands helped normal wizards focus their magic and congeal the erratic energy to the wand to form a spell, a wand for him was a restricting collar. His magic, much denser in essence than the average wizards would explode out of him at all angles. It was as if he wielded a hundred wands. His own specially commissioned wand damped his power and allowed him to focus a trickle of it safely.

He was unaware of the complete destruction of the room, the rubble raining down on him in a cloud of dust. It wasn't focused, not without his wand; he had never been able to focus his magic. However powerful he was, he had no aim. But he didn't need it. They were secluded in a heavily warded room and Tom had nowhere else to escape. He would suffer for making his mother hurt.

"Hadrian…Hadrian…Hadrian…" the call of his name got progressively louder. Hadrian opened his eyes-when had he closed them? -and saw Harry in front of him, crouching over Tom's fallen and unconscious body. And for the first time in his life he saw fear in his mother's eyes. Fear of him- Hadrian. He'd been trying to protect Harry, but not like this. He had wanted his father to hurt, not die.

"Hadrian." Harry spoke sharply. He pointed his wand at him and Hadrian watched the burst of white flow from his mother's wand in slow motion. The white formed a stag that canted over to him and shot forward into his chest, dissolving into a translucent smoke and enveloping him in the slightly warm pulsing of magic. It had Harry's unique magical signature all over it. The patronus obliterated of the dark hate and anger consuming him. Hadrian's oppressive magic slowly abated from the room.

It wasn't quiet anymore. The low buzzing of death eaters shouting, the crumbling of concrete, the harsh panting of Harry, and there, just under all the noise, quiet and hidden was Tom's low breathing. Alive, he was alive. Hadrian looked around him at the destruction. He was a bloody mess, as if he'd bathed in the stuff. It was his own blood, his skin and bone body a measly cage for his magic. His fallen father looked worse.

Harry flung his arms across Tom's chest and with one last look at Hadrian, apparated away. Unable to face what he'd wrought, Hadrian pushed through the destroyed room to face the group of concerned death eaters standing warily. He looked at each of their faces, and though they all looked different they had the same look of fear stamped on their faces. He pushed past them and ran. He ran until he tasted fresh air, the crisp touch of rain on his skin. He ran until his lungs screamed for air, and then ran even farther and harder until he collapsed. His legs felt like jelly and his body was beaten down. He looked around and found himself in a park, thankfully abandoned.

He couldn't go home, not now. He couldn't face the consternation sure to be present in Harry's eyes. He couldn't face his siblings, or Severus or Rabastan or Rudolphus…

Hadrian closed his eyes and apparated to the one place he knew he could forget himself for a few hours.

Standing bloodied and dirtied, he knocked on a bright red door of a brick stone house. The streets were abandoned, the lights glowing and warding off the night.

It opened to the grumpy face of one Theo Nott. Rumpled from sleep, his eyes blinked rapidly to focus on the sight before him.

"What in merlin's name happened to you?" Theo reached forward but stopped himself just in time. He pulled back and the look of concern was replaced with an annoyed glare.

"Let me in beautiful. I'm hurt and I did something stupid." Hadrian was suddenly bone tired. He slumped against the frame of the door.

Theo huffed. "I most certainly will not, Mr. Riddle. You can go to St. Mungo's or better yet, call on your personal healer. Goodnight." He went to close the door but Hadrian slapped his large hand over the door and pushed back, pushing Theo with it. Without waiting for an invitation, he entered.

"Mr. Riddle this is highly inappropriate!"

Hadrian ignored Theo's screech and stumbled to the living room. He took off his bloody shirt and pants until he was down to his boxers and collapsed on the comfy sofa. Numerous fluffy pillows broke his fall. Hadrian ignored Theo's affronted gasp. It's not like the man hadn't seen him in less. He liked Theo's place. It was chic and modern, but with small homey touches. He'd expected that being a Slytherin and a pureblood lord, Theo would prefer the oppressive opulence found in abundance at Slytherin palace but the older man surprised him with his simpler tastes.

"Seriously, I've been inside of you, and you still insist on calling me Mr. Riddle. Is that a secret kink of yours?" Hadrian closed his eyes tiredly. God, he just wanted to sleep for a thousand years.

"That was a one night stand and you took advantage of my drunken state, _Mr. Riddle_!" Theo said through gritted teeth. He stomped over to Hadrian and yanked the pillow from underneath his head.

Opening one eye, Hadrian peered up at Theo. "It was one drink."

"With a ridiculously high alcohol content!"

"It was hard pumpkin cider."

"I have a low tolerance."

Hadrian grinned and pulled Theo right down on top of him. He ignored the man's shouts, although he did take a sharp elbow to his solar plexus before he had his arms wrapped tight around those bony joints.

"Shhhh…. let me just hold you…please…" he whispered.

Theo bit his lip and quietened down. "Hadrian, what did you… Why did you come to my door all bloody?"

"Because you're the only one I can go to forget, at least for a while."

Theo huffed and tried to struggle away from him. "Well, it's nice to know what I'm good for. A pint of ale does the same thing."

"Hmmm, but it's not as cuddly as you." Hadrian was sure Theo was going to cut him to ribbons for that remark. So, he cupped a hand over Theo's mouth, muffling his insults and sighed in content. This reprieve wouldn't last. He'd have to face his mother, his father. So he let Theo's muffled complains lull him to sleep, dreading the time he'd wake again.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

The gentle, warm pass of fingers over his forehead slowly brought him back to the living. Still groggy from potions, Tom tensed up and reached for his wand. But when his hand meet rumpled sheets and empty air, he reached up with the other hand and crushed the trespassing fingers in a death grip. He tried to open his eyes to see who his assailant was but his couldn't focus on an image. Two blurry faces weaved in and out of his peripheral vision. His fingers tightened around the clenched fist in his hand and he tried to pull the attacker closer to him, to use him as a shield against the others.

Muffled voices became louder and a hand pressed hard to his chest. He was growing weaker. Struggling to stay awake, he tried once again to see who it was. Hot breath ghosted over his face in short puffs of air. A hand patted his face insistently. A surge of energy allowed him to open his eyes wide but all he saw was a field of green before he passed out again.

The next time he neared consciousness, he felt the soft press of bandages against his forehead. But Tom didn't open his eyes, content to enjoy Harry's attentions. His fingers smoothed over the white cloth and rhythmically tapped a wand against his head wound. Instinctively he knew this was something Harry would never do if he was awake. The first time he saw Harry care for anyone was the terrible time when Salazar was put into a coma. The younger wizard hadn't left their son's side for days, having to be coaxed into eating and showering. And he'd seen it time and time again, when one of the others fell sick or got an injury. Half the times the twins were wreaking havoc and the other half they were bedridden from a potion that backfired with Harry hovering over them. It was a dark day indeed when he started envying the twins, on top of having his son hand him his arse in a duel.

"I know you're awake, you know."

Tom gave Harry a one-eyed glare before relaxing into the pillows. Just when he was really enjoying himself, Harry took away his fingers. And the Order called him evil.

Harry burst out laughing and those fingers were back again. "Look at you, you should see yourself. Bandaged and still looked as conceited as ever, expecting me to care for you like you're one of our children."

"I was not trying." Tom wanted to make that clear. Hadrian had only taken him out on a stroke of luck and because Tom hadn't wanted to hurt his son.

Harry nodded almost placatingly. "Of course not. The big bad dark lord could never be defeated by a boy a quarter of his age."

Tom's lips twitched in amusement but he would not smile. With his eyes still closed, he asked "How much time has passed?"

"A day. Cerise has been asking after you every five minutes and the twins are so worried they've not pranked anyone. Can you imagine?" Harry chuckled, shaking his head ruefully. "You might not believe me but I know the other kids are worried about you too." When Tom raised his eyebrow in disbelief, Harry changed the subject. "I've told the house guests you were called away on important ministry business. They know about the ministry, they only know a department was attacked so they assume you're just fixing it. Salazar has been running interference for me while I've been chosen to play nursemaid. Your minions were all afraid you'd wake up crucioing everyone."

"Hmmm." He grunted. "And Hadrian?"

Harry sighed heavily and folded his hands in his lap. "He hasn't been home. Theo told me Hadrian's crashing at his place. I tried firecalling him but he never answers. And James isn't talking to me. He's spending all his time with Teddy and Fenrir's pack. Lily's tried reaching out to him but he just pushes her away. He's pushing everyone away."

He was too worried about James. If the boy was with the pack, then he couldn't be safer. Right now, his upmost concern was the book and the article. A lot of things could happen in a day.

"Tom…Barty told me about the books. And that you're trying to find Rita Skeeter?"

Tom heard the unasked question. Harry was fishing and not so subtlety. "I didn't get a chance to read the book before Hadrian attacked." He couldn't help the hint of venom in his tone. That his son had the gall to attack him was untenable. More than anything his pride was hurt.

"Oh, I'm sure he's sorry. And you can't say he didn't have reason to be angry. And confused. All the children are."

Slowly, Tom sat up in bed and looked over to Harry. "That was a long time ago."

Dark, sooty lashes fluttered over emerald eyes, a frown marring his face. "It was a long time ago. It seemed like it happened a lifetime ago, to someone else. I didn't even recognize myself," Harry said mirthlessly.

"A lot has changed," Tom reminded him a bit aggressively. Had it been just a day or two ago when Harry willingly came to him and kissed him? That too felt like a lifetime away.

"It has." Harry replied, albeit slowly. "I can't change what happened in the past but I know I don't want this for my future. Our kids not talking to me, attacking you. I might not have chosen this life but it's mine now and I want it. I don't want to lose my family."

Tom reached out and took Harry's hand in his. "You won't, I won't let that happen," he promised with all the conviction that only a dark lord can manage.

Harry nodded, but didn't look like he believed him. "What are we going to be doing about Rita? I don't want my kids knowing more than they already know. And knowing Rita, she's made up and twisted facts in her book for drama."

"Harry, they are all destroyed. I have death eaters actively tracking down any that might have been pre-released and looking for Rita as we speak."

Harry peered at him suspiciously and slid his hand out of Tom's hold. "You're not telling me something. I know you're not. I've lived with you for over twenty years and I have a part of you inside me, you think I don't know your every tell?"

Growling, Tom frowned at the wizard but he didn't back down. He, the dark lord, should never be required to explain himself. The only reason he needed for doing anything was that he was the dark lord and that he could. But Harry wouldn't back down from this.

"There has to be mole, inside my ranks. The kind of information the Skeeter woman has in the book can only be from a death eater and someone close to me."

Peering at him suspiciously, Harry's mouth turned down. His body was suddenly tense and his breathing a bit fast. "You told me you didn't read the book."

"I didn't." Tom narrowed his eyes. "The article said something about you hiding things from me. Tell me, Harry what could that be?"

Harry scoffed. "Rita Skeeter was only speculating and building up her book. I know her Tom. She interviewed me during the triwizard tournament and accused me of being a fame hungry wizard."

Harry might know all his tells but the wizard forgot Tom had been obsessed with him since before he was a babe. Harry was keeping something from him and he wanted it know what it was. "Harry- "

But he was interrupted when Harry reached forward and took one of his hands and squeezed. "Don't. I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere." The younger man looked at him fiercely, his nostrils flared.

Tom had never figured out how the Order managed that raid at Malfoy manor and took Harry from him. Harry must have had something to do with that. Did Harry think he would punish him for that after all these years?

Hesitantly, Harry inched forward until he was a hairs breath away from Tom's chapped lips. His eyes flickered from Tom's lips to his unnatural blue eyes. Every since Tom made his horcruxes, his eye color morphed into a blood red from the natural blue he'd inherited from his hated father. To adopt the look of a normal man, mostly for Harry's sake Tom had illusioned the blue color back into his eyes. But not even a spell could mimic the previous color.

Tom took the last step and tipped his chin up so that his bottom lip brushed against Harry's. That was all the permission Harry needed to kiss him. Not that Harry would ever be denied when he came to him for such things, not even on his sick bed.

It ended quickly, much to Tom's consternation.

"Alright." Tom acquiesced. And it was worth it. The bright smile on Harry face, not even a hint duplicity to ruin it and Tom knew he didn't need to ask. Perhaps the kiss and been to distract him but Tom was greeedy. He'd take Harry however the younger wizard allowed him.

"So, your minions are awaiting orders. You should really go talk to them, they're getting antsy and diving me crazy," Harry said on a light note and pulled back. "They're like headless chickens right now."

Tom nodded and gingerly stood up. His shoulder was bandaged underneath his shirt, and he had another wrapped around his head. Harry wordlessly handed him his wand. Casting a diagnosis spell over himself, he deemed the injuries healed enough and got rid of the white wrappings. Scars still pink and healing contrasted from his fair skin.

"We can't have that, now can we?" Harry shook his head with a small smile. "I want you to call on the children, even James. I want to talk to them all at the same time. And I'll have Theo bring Hadrian."

"Okay, we'll talk to them together after your meeting." Harry agreed, his eyes crinkling in pleasure. They had to present a united front their children. "Oh, by the way, when you see Theo, tell him he is to take the next two weeks off for vacation."

"And when did you start giving out vacations to my death eaters?"

"When you work them half to death. And Severus does not count, he'd live in his labs if you didn't occasionally pull him out for your meetings." Harry hesitated by door before turning slowly. "What will we tell them?"

"The truth. It is best they know everything from us before others can poison them."

"Everything? Even what happened to Salazar, and why I had him in the first place. Even about Pettigrew?" That rat was still Harry's everlasting shame.

Tom shook his head. "No, I will tell them the things most of my death eaters already know about me. The rest is unnecessary." He hoped that would reassure the worried wizard.

Harry frowned by nodded nonetheless in agreement. "I think I understand the necessity for it, but I don't have to like it. Just get over with the meeting soon so we can get this over with."

Tom watched Harry leave his rooms. He made sure the wizard was far enough away before he conjured the black book. Just because he decided not ask Harry didn't mean he couldn't read about it. He'd vanished the book away before Hadrian came to him or it would have been destroyed in the magical backlash of the attack.

He was dark lord. He had to know everything. Fingering the spine one more time, he vanished it back to his personal cache and put on his robes. He had people to crucio.

….

Magical Britain's richest and most powerful men and woman knelt before the dark lord. He sat imperious on his pitch-black throne, one hand carelessly playing with the elder wand and the other petting the gigantic snake curled around his throne and resting on his lap. Fourteen deep violet vials bobbed gently in the air at his side.

In a line Barty and his wife Alecto Carrow, her bother Amycus and the Lestrange brothers knelt on one side while on the other there was Lucius, Narcissa, Draco, Theo, Blaise, Parkinson, Greyback, Dolohov, and Snape.

"As you all know a slanderous article about Harry and myself circulated early this morning. It alluded to a book Rita Skeeter wrote. However, the books have been tracked down and have been destroyed. What concerns me now is how she got the information to write her book."

Parkinson looked at his fellow Knights but they all had their eyes respectfully trained to the floor. "My lord, you cannot possibly suspect me-us of being her informant?"

Tom narrowed his eyes on the impertinent man. "And if I was? What would you do, Parkinson?" He leaned forward and twisted his wrist casually to point loosely at the now trembling man. He relaxed back when the death eater didn't answer and ducked his head.

"I need to know that you all can be trusted. You are useless to me otherwise. So, for your sake I hope you survive this. Hold out your hands."

They did as told, but not without a great deal of reluctance. Tom stood up and marched in front of them, his snake following his every footstep. He stopped in front of Severus. "I suggest you all stay still or it will be more painful. _Nagini, you may start_."

The death eaters didn't have any other warning as Nagini struck them one by one, the men and women falling like dominoes. The venom flooded into their bloodstreams and instantly began contaminating their blood. Even Fenrir, who had a faster healing ability was no match for Nagini. He howled in pain, his facial muscles morphing into a muzzle and fur sprouted all over his face. Elongated claws scraped against the marble floor. The others were in no better states. Black track marks laced up their arms, their limbs turning to an alarming shade of blue. White foam frothed from their mouths as they were slowly poisoned and brought to the verge of death.

Tom closed his eyes and concentrate on each of their individual magical cores. He'd done this a few times but only with two or three wizards at a time. It was difficult trying to invade the mind of one person but to do so of two or three was impossible, unheard of. But once he'd taken possession of the elder wand, he'd pushed the limits to everything he knew and shattered those restraining lines.

Their magical cores pulsed lowly, struggling to keep the bodies they inhabited alive even as Nagini's poison surged though and killed off the blood cells and nerve endings. Tom knew he didn't have much time so he tore through their weakened barriers. Their memories lay dormant, the insignificant ones fading away and leaving the significant ones front and center. He quickly flipped through them, but saw nothing concerning him and Harry that was problematic. Although the Malfoy heir did seem to have an alarmingly large number of memories that involved small moments of Harry, things like playing quidditch or practicing their dueling skills. And considering these were the important memories that either had a great impact or a person treasured above all else, it was safe to assume Draco had an unhealthy obsession with his Harry.

Tom waved over the vials and floated them in front of the death eaters. He upended the vials into their mouths and waited for the antidote to work through the poison. He looked over to Severus, a man usually composed from his collar to his shoe ties, drooling on the ground. "I hope Severus, your potion works. I'd hate too loose such a good potions master."

It took a while for the group to come back to. Dolohov took the longest, and even still dark hollows underneath his eyes and cheeks remained. One would think he'd spent a few months in Azkaban instead of a few minutes fighting off Nagini's poison. The Carrows and Crouch took it all in stride, their devotion too great to take offense at Nagini's actions. Fenrir was the most vocal in his complaints but the werewolf was easy enough to ignore. Tom bared his teeth at the incessant grumbling and the alpha soon quieted down, although the mutt continued to glare holes into him. Parkinson grumbled along with Fenrir, his hands still shaking and entire body twitching. Blaise and Theo, among the youngest of his recruits and in the inner circle no less ran diagnostic spells over themselves. They dared not meet their dark lords gaze. Snape was the quickest to shake off the aftereffects of poison and antidote. The man had probably suspected something of this nature to occur.

Mostly Tom ignored the others. The reactions of the Malfoys, however, interested him the most. Lucius couldn't quite help the resentful flare of his nostrils as he helped his wife off the floor. The woman was more concerned with her son, Draco, who shoved her helping hand away and pointedly kept his eyes on the floor. The young blonde's body was tense and his wand hand twitched threateningly.

"Congratulations. None of you have betrayed me." Tom said with a condescending smile.

Parkinson edged closer to Fenrir when Nagini slithered in front of them. The snake noticed and jerked her head towards the frightened man.

"My lord, was that really necessary? We could have died." Parkinson's voice was still shaken. Fenrir wrinkled his nose and shuffled away from the man.

"If you had died, then you do not deserve to be my death eater. I do not tolerate the weak. Now, I need you to check on the rest of my death eaters. Severus and Draco will be brewing veritaserum for my top officers, after they've been quarantined of the truth serum antidote. Lucius, you and Crouch will run the investigation. Make sure none of them know what you are up to or they will have time to obliviate any pertinent memories. As for the rest of the death eaters, I want you Parkinson, Dolohov, Alecto, Amycus and Blaise to use legilimency on them. After a few of the officer have been cleared, use them to help you. Fenrir, you oversee investigating the werewolves and other dark creatures in my ranks, Narcissa will help you with the veelas. And I want this done in a week."

"My lord, it cannot be done in a week!" Dolohov complained, only to be met with a crucio. The man screamed out loud. The spell proved too much for his already weakened body. With one last gurgling cry, the man fell dead on the floor. The other death eaters looked on in dispassion.

"Any more questions?" Tom asked the others but looked pointedly at Parkinson. He gulped, eyes flitting nervously over Dolohov s prone body before steeling his nerves and looking forward again. Nagini slithered forward to sneak on the newly available food.

"Good. You are all dismissed. Theo, stay awhile."

Choruses of "my lord" followed as they filed out, one by one. Their movements were stiff, their bodies given to occasional twitches. Theo remained kneeling.

"My lord?" He questioned respectfully. Fear made his lower lip tremble but he tensed his jaw in determination to face his fate like a man. Tom liked that.

"I hear Hadrian has been staying with you?"

Blushing tomato red, the wizard nodded. "Yes," he replied carefully. "He came to me two nights ago and forced his way in."

So like the boy. And going from Theo's uncomfortable squirming, Tom figured his son finally made his interest in the older wizard known. "I want you to deliver Hadrian to the palace in two hours. By any means possible."

Theo nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, my lord. It will be done. And as for the investigation, you did not give me any directions. I wish to help."

Tom quirked his lips in a small smile. "No, you will not be helping." At the man's hurt look, Tom clarified. "I don't want to take time away from your research. As per Harry's request, you are to have two weeks off. You will be relived of your secretarial duties but you will continue your research. It is too valuable to take even a minute break from it. And when you come back, I want you to hire two undersecretaries for yourself so you can dedicate more time to the research."

"Yes my lord, and thank you, although I would rather be working."

Tom grumbled. "So would I, but Harry is difficult when he is cross with me, so a vacation you shall have. Make sure not to tell him you are working while in vacation."

"Of course, I'm not stupid," he snapped with a slight bite before realizing his faux pas and tensing in fright.

"Relax, Theo, I am not going to crucio you for that." Tom smirked. "Right now, I want you to talk to Mr. Chu and negotiate the peace treaty. He is giving me access to their library so I expect you will be making a trip to China in a few months, if not weeks. Salazar will help facilitate."

Theo nodded and bowed. He took his leave to get to his duties. Tom had the utmost confidence in Theo to run the meeting with Mr. Chu, something he would have seen to personally if not for this new development. He needed to deal with the internal turmoil Rita Skeeter caused before he could focus back in his plans for world domination.

Having given himself two hours, Tom summoned Rita's book. It's materialized from grey smoke to a solid object in his hands. He frowned. It was lighter than he remembered. Quickly flipping through the book, he found ripped edges throughout the book. Going back to the page of contents, he found six chapter titles scratched out as of by a sharp nail, some of the the gouge marks dismembering the other words of other chapter titles. A quick look through the book gave him hints of what Rita knew. It started on that blasted prophecy, that thing that started this all. Via the prophecy both Neville and Harry had had the potential to defeat him. It was Tom that made the prophecy happen. With his rash actions, he'd made Harry his equal and his ambition created his downfall.

A chapter was missing after that and then it cut straight to Harry's years throughout Hogwarts, a chapter dedicated to each of the four years he'd been in the school. Then there a chapter on the graveyard. That definitively told him that one of his death eaters had turned into a rat. Then there was a detailed chapter of Harry's abuse up to the planning of Salazar's birth. After that, there were huge chunks of pages missing before skipping to Harry's attack on him and Salazar in the final decisive battle of the Great War. Immediately following that were more ripped edged indicating missing chapters. Then there was a chapter detailing the treachery of the order, another missing chapter and the rest of the pages were left intact. They described the outcome of the top Order leaders. It ended with his legacy, the things that Skeeter suspected had been influenced by Harry accompanied with viable evidence.

Tom ran a diagnosis spell on the book and found the same signature he'd vaguely found on Umbridge when her memory and been whiped. No one had been in the room with them then and no one could access the place he vanished his valuable items to. It was a void created by his magic in a separate dimension. The only person who even stood a chance to find the book was Harry, since he was a horcrux and his magic was tainted by Tom's own. But why not destroy the entire book? No, whoever did intended for Tom to know what they had done. This was a threat.

So that had to mean someone, a very powerful someone was casting long distance spells. Faced with his secondary evidence, he had to presume it was not an impossibility. He still had a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that someone could cast a spell on someone or something without being in the vicinity. It was akin to how muggles controlled their spaceships from control centers on earth. In their world it was possible. And until now, in the wizarding world such spells had been beyond imagining.

The question was though, who was this new entity? Rita obviously wanted the information in her book spread, as did the W.A.N.D.S organization. They'd funded her after all. But the person who'd oblivated Umbridge was working against them. They were also Tom's enemy. He just knew that the missing pages would turn up at the most inopportune times and be used as blackmail against him.

Anger shimmering slowly inside him, Tom forced himself to calm. He cast a tracing spell but it yielded nothing. With a hastily crafted spell, he warded the palace against all incoming documents to have them monitored by his death eaters. Since the book was useless to him and he knew all the information, he burned it away. The only lead he had was the man he saw in Umbridge's memory. From the iconic hair, he knew it to be a Weasley but he did not want to tip them off. He would dispatch death eaters to each of the family members and follow them. They would be sure to make a mistake soon.

As much as it frustrated him, his turn was over in this game. But he would be prepared when his opponents made their move. In the meanwhile, all he could do was try to fix his broken family. No matter what, he would not let his enemies take what was his.

He exited the room and headed for the twins' and Cerise's room. He didn't want them to worry about him more than they'd already done and truth be told, he missed them. They were probably the only ones that didn't know anything about him and Harry. They looked at him with eyes untainted by his torrid history.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

 _Dear Luna_

 _It's been a long time since I've had contact with you but I'm writing to you to tell you about my youngest son. I named him Orion Remus, after Remus but it was a hard choice out of the eight other names I had picked out. We're having his naming ceremony here at Slytherin Palace, the party is supposed to last a week and there are so many stuffy and pretentious people here. He's already showing he's Tom's son. Demanding, controlling; he even has red rimmed blue eyes but he's wonderful and he has my hair, or at least I predict he will. I think he'll be a Gryffindor, we're long overdue. The twins cannot be anything but Slytherin, and I can't imagine Cerise in any other house either._

 _I'm sad to say Salazar, much like his father pretty much lives in the basement of the ministry, and the two of them are pulling Hadrian into their habits. James though is almost jumping out of his skin to finish Hogwarts and join the Chudley Cannons. I can't remember the last time I played a game against him and I'm not sure I want to since he beats me half the time! Lily is growing to be so beautiful and she reminded me so much of my mother. It's almost like looking at a picture. And you were right! Alfred and Scorpius might just be dating, Tom's death eaters gave me a report and I read that they kissed. I can bet you that both Alfred and Scorpius will be cozying up together at the Three Broomsticks at every Hogsmead weekend or gorging on sweets at Honeydukes. The twins have turned the basement back at Riddle manor into their makeshift lab and of course Tom had to turn it into a fully functional potions lab that's more suited for Severus than nine year old boys. But I can't be mad at him when I see how happy the twins are but I can't help but hope they prank him with one of their potions. Cerise still hasn't moved on from her obsession with dragons. I don't think I've told yet that last December when we were visiting with Hagrid she stole one of his dragon eggs. Thank Merlin's beard I checked her clothes before she could hide it away in her rooms. I can just imagine how the house elves would have reacted when they found the dragon while cleaning her room._

 _As for me, I'm tired but good. Sometimes Orion tires himself out and has a nice, long nap around noon and lets me relax for a while. I haven't seen you in the longest so tell me how you have been. I'll talk to Tom about setting up a time we can meet, let me know when it is good for you. Waiting to hear back from you most impatiently._

 _Harry_

 _P.s. I've included pictures of the children taken from this year. Anyway, every one here says hello, be well._

Harry added the individual pictures of his children to the missive in a specific order; Rom, Cerise, Salazar, Lily, Reggie, Hadrian, James and finally Alfred. He also added a picture of him and Orion that wasn't necessary to the code to stave off suspicion. Luna would need to see the pictures in that order to be able to decipher the secret code embedded in the letter. He wasn't only worried about death eater eyes but there were also outsiders that would love to interfere with his letters.

He carefully sealed the envelope with wax and pressed his ring to the melted red sealant. Hedwig hooted at his windowsill impatiently. He tied the letter to the owl's leg and gave Hedwig a treat for the journey. Giving Harry a small, affectionate nudge with his beak, Hedwig spread her wings and took off into the evening sky. When she reached the edge of the property, she passed through a ward that instantly copied the contents of the letter and sent them to analysts waiting to approve the letter. Hedwig was forced to fly in place for fifteen minutes before the second shield allowed her to leave, and Harry heaved a great sigh is relief. That meant the death eaters monitored the outgoing mail didn't find anything suspicious.

Harry watched after Hedwig until his owl was a tiny dot enveloped by the rapidly descending night sky. Small stars twinkled from above, the only ones privy to this secret. He'd wanted to send the letter right after the disastrous breakfast but with Tom leaving abruptly, Hadrian going off the rails and then attacking Tom, and then helping Severus care for Tom Harry had all but forgotten about the letter. But as he waited for Tom to be finished with his meeting, he remembered to his unfinished business. He hoped Luna would get the message and set up what he needed. This could very well mean their lives.

He was startled out of his reverie when a knock came at his suite door. Closing his window, he entered his sitting room. He cleared his throat and called out for them to enter. The door opened slowly to fiery red curls and bright green eyes. Harry forced a smiled and beckoned for Lily to enter. She went straight into his arms, muffling her sobs on the front of his shirt. He said nothing, waiting for her to speak first as he ran his hand over her curls.

"I heard papa is okay," she said through her sniffles. "I was so worried, even, even though…because of that and oh Merlin mom, what happened? What was that picture? I've been dying to ask but I didn't want to take you away from papa. He needed you more."

Harry cupped her face and lifted her head to place a kiss in her forehead. "Lily, no matter what is going on with me and your father, I will always be here. If you need me, come to me no matter the time or day. You and your siblings are my priority, okay?"

Lily nodded, biting her lip. "So…would you please explain the picture? Salazar won't talk to me about it, Alfred's shut himself in his rooms, and James says he isn't surprised and says that father is a horrible monster. But he can't be, right? It was all a mistake. Skeeter always sensationalizes her stories."

How could Harry tell her the truth? Yes, Tom had done terrible things to him, to many other countless people. What Tom had done to him was just the tip of the iceberg. At end of the day though, Tom was also a father and he had never hurt any of his children, with the exception of Orion. No matter how much Harry had to hate Tom for, and Merlins beard were their infinite reasons, Harry never the less was incredibly grateful Tom had been there for Salazar when he hadn't been able to.

That had't been anyone's fault. The Order came with good intentions but their raid was ill timed. He'd been in the middle of a premature birth, Salazar coming in two months early so the Order hadn't known it wasn't safe. It also hadn't given Tom enough time to enact the ritual he'd been planning to move to horcrux to Salazar. He didn't remember much of that day, just bright white lights and a blinding pain as he'd been cut open then nothing but darkness and emptiness. Both he and the Order thought Salazar had died, reinforced when Tom made a public announcement that the Order raid killed his son. Harry didn't blame Tom either for lying about it, he understood Tom was acting as a father and keeping Salazar's survival a secret for his safety. Harry founder say with with honesty that the order wouldn't have killed Salazar just based on his parentage. He wasn't a boy anymore blinded by the golden ideals spouted by a foolish old man. He's seen the Order do equally terrible things in the name of the greater good and he'd been pulled into the spiel. He'd learned the unnerving truth of war that the light side weren't the heroes he foolishly thought them to be. They were made up of imperfect people built on a system rife with flaws. Much like the Knights of Walpurgis. But they, unlike the Order actually did some good, enough to help Harry justify the bad and be able to sleep at night.

"Mom?"

"No matter what your father has done remember that he is you father and he loves you, even if he doesn't say it. Your father and I called you and your siblings here to explain. How about we wait, hmm?"

Lily nodded, knowing it was better to wait for the others before Harry explained. It wasn't a satisfactory option but it was the only option. They moved to a cozy love seat and Lily took the seat right next to Harry, cuddling up to him. Harry squeezed her tight; it wasn't often he got to cuddle with his children. Even Cerise, the second youngest only allowed him a kiss on her forehead before bed. Orion was a baby, who of course readily cuddled with him and he already dreaded Orion growing older.

They didn't have to wait for long before another knock came at the door and Alfred poked his head inside. Dark circles framed his dulled eyes. Harry smiled wanly and patted the empty spot beside him. Alfred didn't hesitate to throw himself at Harry's side and try desperately to burrow into him. He didn't say or ask for anything, for which Harry was immensely grateful for. They sat in relative silence, interrupted occasionally by the cracking and popping of the fire blazing across from them in the black marble fireplace.

The next knock was followed by a thump. Curious, Harry disentangled himself from his kids and opened the door to see a flustered Theo pulling an unconscious Hadrian behind him with his wand.

"Your son is annoying and heavy and twice as obstinate as you. I had to hear him complain about my cooking for thirty minutes before he finally knocked out," Theo panted.

"Did you really drug Hadrian? Please tell me it wasn't on Tom's order." At Theo's what-do-you-think? look, Harry rolled his eyes. "Fine, bring him in. At least you didn't hex him. Thank Merlin for small miracles."

Theo pushed the floating Hadrian into the room, his other sibling perking up in interest. "Miracle indeed, you have no idea how hard it is not to hex him. It must be the unconditional love you're infected with."

Harry chuckled. "Theo, love is not an illness you contract."

"Hmmm, only a sentimental Gryffindor would say that. By the way, Lord Voldemort forced me on a two-week vacation because of you. I hope you're happy." Theo glared at Harry, completely put out by the reminder.

"I am, it makes me happy to see you suffer," Harry snickered. Not many would consider vacation, specially from a demanding dark lord, as punishment. But then Theo was special.

"Hmpf, the dark lord is rubbing off on you and that is not a compliment." Theo finally laid Hadrian down on a long settee none too gently. With one last glare aimed at Harry then at the prone figure of Hadrian, he left in a huff. Harry wondered what Hadrian had done in the past day to pique Theo's ire.

Harry couldn't help one last rejoinder. "Enjoy your vacation, and make sure to wear sunscreen. Blotchy red does not suit you." Theo made a rude gesture with his finger before banging out of the room. Harry turned back to see Lily hovering over Hadrian, peeling back one of his eyelids.

She tapped her want to his temple and said "Viresecundum."

Hadrian woke slowly from the simple sleeping potion, looking around him groggily and yawning wide. "Wherem I?" He slurred, the words jumbling together.

Harry swished his wand and cleaned up the dried crust of drool at the corner of his mouth. "In my chambers. Your father and I called you and your siblings here to talk." Hadrian sat up and made to get up. With another flick, Harry transfigured the pillows on the settee into binds that wrapped around Hadrian keeping him immobile. He jerked against the binding, then decided it was too much effort.

"I'm not Rom or Reggie."

Harry arched a brow. "Really, I couldn't tell. Running away, ignoring my calls, sure seems like what the twins would do when they know they're in trouble."

Swallowing, Hadrian turned his scrutiny to the fireplace. "And am I in trouble?"

"No Hadrian. What you did, I can't condemn you for it. I've done much the same to your father but he is your father. No matter what he has done to me, he does love you. And I don't need you to fight my battles for me or avenge me, I can take care of myself perfectly fine."

"Right, that picture showed just how well you took care of yourself against father," Hadrian snapped, eyes blazing. "He beat you, didn't he? And those bite marks, - merlin's beard he raped you," Hadrian whispered in sudden realization. Quiet gasps from Lily and Alfred followed his comment.

Harry made a distress sound deep in his throat. "Hadrian-"

"No! He did, didn't he?! I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill that son of a bitch!" Hadrian burst through his bindings and shot up off his seat.

Harry thrust out his wand and kept it pointed straight at Hadrian's heart. "Hadrian, sit down! I will not ask twice; do you hear me?" Hadrian hesitated at the fire lacing his mother's words. Harry flicked his wand and an invisible force pushed him back down. "Now, as I told your other siblings, Tom and I called you here to talk to you, to explain what happened. I did not want you knowing this but now it seems I have no choice. So, you will stay quiet and listen."

The chastised boy nodded grudgingly. Harry sighed in frustration. The meeting was already getting off to a bad start. And Tom hadn't even shown up yet. As if his thoughts called forth the man, the door opened to allow in Tom, followed by Salazar and a belligerent James. Salazar had a tight hold in James bicep, who promptly shoved his older brother away when Tom closed the door.

"James?" Harry questioned, looking from his eldest to the boy who reminded him so much of Sirius. Playful and charming when he wanted to be but so prone to keeping grudges far beyond what was healthy.

James pointedly ignored him and took a seat on a lone armchair, farthest from the others in the grouping of sofas. Salazar took the seat next to Hadrian and faced his parents. Wanting to present a united front, Harry walked to Tom and stood before their children. Cerise and the twins were being entertained by the house elves as they were too young to understand and Harry had put Orion to bed right before he'd sent that message. So everyone was here to officially begin.

A look of guilt flittered across Hadrian's expression when he saw the healing wound on Tom's forehead before he quickly shuttered it away. He growled warningly the closer Harry got to Tom.

Tom narrowed his eyes at Hadrian's open display of hostility but addressed the entire room "Harry and I wish to talk to you about the article you saw two days prior."

"What's there to talk about, you tortured and raped our mother," Hadrian bit out coldly. Alfred whimpered, crossing his arms over his stomach.

"Hadrian, watch your words!" Harry snapped.

"No! Alfred needs to hear this, he needs to know what kind of man we call father." Hadrian sneered, his wand aimed at Tom.

Tom stepped forward threateningly but Harry grasped his forearm and held him back. "Hadrian, you promised to listen and goading your father is not helping anyone."

"I never promised that," came the belligerent reply.

"Fine, then just listen for me. Can you do that at least?" At Hadrian's curt nod, Harry allowed Tom to start the explanation. He'd rather the children hear Tom's side of the story before he filled in the blanks. He'd rather the children not know a few of the events in his past. Perhaps it was a bit cowardly to hide and take refuge in Tom's past, wanting it to overshadow his own story but pride had no place here.

"Salazar already knows a bit about horcruxes from his study, but I shall explain it to the rest of you." Tom explained the nature of a horcrux, how to make it and then revealed he had made seven of them.

"What? Father, how could you? Why did you do it? A horcrux tears a soul and makes them unstable. It brings out the worst in a person because they are not whole!" Lily exclaimed. When all of them turned to her in surprise, even Salazar, she realized her mistake and shrank back into herself. "What?"

Tom scrutinized her suspiciously. "How do you know about that?"

"Um, I might have perhaps gone into your library and broken into the warded section and picked up a book or two for a bit of light reading. And mentions of horcruxes may have come up once or twice."

"Only once or twice hmm?" Harry intoned, knowing that look. Once Lily got her nose into a book, she didn't emerge until she's read the entire tome then moved on to other books to fully master the subject. It reminded him of Hermione actually.

Lily grimaced. "Perhaps more than twice."

Tom nodded but continued with the story. He explained how his last horcrux was unintentional. That Harry was his horcrux, and in making Harry the horcrux, how the killing spell backfired and destroyed Tom's body.

"Father killed your parents?" Alfred asked, horrified. Harry had only told the children that his parents died in the war fighting against Tom, not whose hands they died by. Only Salazar and Hadrian knew about particular detail.

"What sins haven't you committed, father? Incest? Cannibalism? We know we can cross off attempted infanticide off the list," James drawled caustically. At Harry's surprised look, James quirked his lips in a gross facsimile of a smile. "Yah, I know about that mom. Did you really think you could keep that a secret? I wonder what lies you'll tell Orion when he grows up or will it take another book by Rita Skeeter to force it out of you two?"

Lily frowned. "What is he talking about?"

Ignoring her, Tom bared his teeth in what only the blind could call a smile. "There is still filicide."

"Don't threaten him! He hasn't said anything we haven thought," Hadrian warned.

Tom took a threatening step forward and menaced "Watch your tone boy, before I show you how a real wizard duels instead of losing control."

Hadrian whipped out his wand and aimed a hex at Tom, who quickly deflected the spell. It ricocheted off the shield and exploded into the wall, gouging a small hole.

"Accio wands!" Harry shouted and grabbed up all the wands coming to him, even Tom's and hid them from sight. "I know you are angry. And even to this day I do not nor will I ever forgive your father for killing my parents. I will never forget, and I struggle to understand it every day. A woman told a prophecy that your father would be killed by a child born in the seventh month and your godfather Severus told Tom of it. And Tom targeted two families, mine and the Longbottoms, who both had a child in July."

Lily looked deep in thought. "So, you thought mother or the Longbottom child would kill you so you tried to kill them before they could kill you?" Her question didn't allow Harry to gauge what she was feeling,

Tom nodded. "Yes. I did not know Harry personally, he was merely an obstacle to my continued health."

James glared at Lily incredulously. "You can't mean to take father's side, he killed our grandparents!"

"I'm not taking sides, I'm trying to understand," Lily replied in a soothing tone.

Finding no support in her, he turned to Salazar and Hadrian, the later much more likely to take up his cause. "You two don't look so surprised."

Still glaring at Tom, Hadrian replied "We already knew but I thought that was the worst he could do."

Salazar shrugged. "It is not like I knew them. I'm sure if it did, I would probably feel some sort of grief.. And like Lily said, they were killed when father did not know mother that well. They were virtual strangers. I would have done the same thing, had I been father and they were threatening my life." To others, many actually, his words sounded callous. But his private thoughts were a mystery, even to Harry. What he said out loud could not be taken at face value, as Harry had learned when he'd first began to get to know his eldest son. No matter how closed off he seemed, Salazar did care.

"Of course you would, you're daddy's little pet!" James spat.

Salazar's expression didn't change. "I killed over twenty wizards when we were fighting the Russians to get mother and Hadrian back. You don't think they had husbands, wives, children waiting for them? And yet I don't regret a single curse."

"Boys, enough!" Harry stepped in before the two brothers could devolve to Hadrian and Tom's level. James would cast the first spell, but Salazar's defensive would be the last spell cast in a duel before he had his opponent incapacitated. And Harry just left left a sick bed.

Before they could argue further, Tom continued, skipping over Harry's three years at Hogwarts and jumped to the graveyard. He told them about making his body, how the spell pulled his body from a third dimension where lost souls roamed. Harry perked up at that. He hadn't known about that. But then he supposed he'd never really wondered where Tom's soul had roamed for years without a body.

"What is this third dimension?" Lily questioned with great interest.

"There is this dimension, where the living reside. Then there is the dimension where souls go to rest after death. A third one exists where lost souls roam. It is not a very...pleasant place." Tom's face darkened fractionally. Harry wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been looking for it. Just how much had Tom's there affected him?

Lily, unsatisfied with the answer probed deeper. "So, what is it like, this third dimension. What makes it unpleasant?"

Harry interjected and tried to divert the conversation away from a topic he knew Tom was not ready to discuss. "Lily, that doesn't matter. Let you father continue the story."

Tom quickly spoke over her to prevent further questions. He told them of how he took Harry and did indeed do the things hinted at in the picture. He didn't elaborate, he didn't need to. Hadrian looked thunderous but Harry shook his head at Hadrian's direction. Tom explained that at that time his soul, split in seven was highly unstable. All he'd been consumed with was pain and revenge, which he took out on Harry.

He glossed over the reason for Salazar's conception, fabricating a story about the conception being accidental. He told them of the years Harry fought against them after thinking Salazar died, a story Salazar was already familiar with. Harry then took over and with his eyes locked on Salazar, explained how he finally confronted Tom and attacked. He merely said Salazar got hurt in the battle, not that he himself attacked Salazar and his son didn't correct him. Harry felt ashamed for the need to keep that part a secret but he couldn't handle any more censure. Undoubtably it was selfish of him but he saw the way his children were seeing Tom after learning of his past deeds and he didn't want the children to adopt that same look of disenchanted horror when looking at him.

He told them after learning of about Salazar, he decided to stay with Tom and cut his ties to the Order. By that time, Tom had acquired all his scattered horcruxes near him and eventually Harry convinced him to unite the horcruxes back into his soul, only keeping Nagini and Harry as his remaining horcruxes. It made him more stable and humane, more like the man the children knew today.

Both Alfred and Lily remained quiet. Salazar was a blank slate. But Hadrian- if anything he looked even more incensed than the day he saw the prophet.

"So, I was right. You stayed with father because of Salazar. And the rest of us, did he force you to have us to keep you here?"

"No! I wanted all of you!" Harry vehemently denied.

"I don't believe you, you can't possibly want us. We remind you of what father did to you!"

"Hadrian- "

"No, no! You don't get to Hadrian me. This entire thing is so fucked up I can't, I can't. Bloody hell," Hadrian stood up and clenched his hands into his wild hair. After a silent moment, he growled at Tom. "I need to leave, I need-I need space." He stormed out, banging the door closed but such was his power, the entire door broke off the goblin steal hinges and the wood shattered to tiny splinters.

Harry sighed and shook his head. Well, that went wonderfully. He turned to see how Alfred and Lily were faring.

"I understand if you two need to process this. We can talk later." They both nodded and made their way out the room. Before Harry could address James, this third oldest stomped out past him and barely managed to avoid running Harry over. Toms hands twitched in annoyance but Harry shook his head and let James go. They all needed space and time to think.

Only Salazar remained. He stood up and faced his parents. He stood almost head to head with Tom. Harry could hardly remember when Salazar came to under his chin and Harry was allowed to hug him as often and as tight as he liked.

"I realize there is a lot of history between you two, things I cannot possibly hope to understand. I love you mother," Salazar said straight to Harry. Harry offered him a trembling smile. He hadn't heard that in a long while. "But I need you to promise me you never intend to harm him, that you will protect him even at the expense of your life," he demanded fiercely of his father. Harry knew Tom could never make that promise. Above all, it was Tom's life Tom would fight to the death for. If Harry came in the way, he'd never come out the winner.

To his surprise, Tom nodded seriously. "I promise on Merlin's bones,"

"Thank you. Have a good night mother," Salazar nodded and took his leave.

As soon as the door closed, Harry let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. "Thank you for lying. If it will make Salazar rest with ease, that is the best I can ask of you."

Tom grunted. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it.

Feeling suddenly tired, Harry turned from him and headed for his room. He was stopped by a hand to his wrist.

"I have missed having you in my bed." Harry was taken aback. Tom smirked. "To sleep."

"It's only been one night. Besides, I thought I made it clear it was a onetime thing."

"You did," Tom acquiesced. He let go of Harry's hand and realizing he would not be forced, Harry turned to face him fully. A vein jumped at Tom's jaw as he clenched his teeth. "Before this, after the ball, we were getting along. I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you."

Harry could tell how hard it was for Tom to admit that. It showed in the stiff set of his shoulders, the tense lines of his body. But his words annoyed him. With a mocking smile, Harry touched his ever-present collar. "You can't lose something you have a permanent chokehold on."

Harry wasn't expecting it, so he reasoned later that shock made him do what he did. Tom yanked him closer and pressed seeking lips to his. The older man cupped his jaw, fingers sweeping gently over his jaw bone and temple. A broad swath of tongue begged for entrance with an inquiring lick and Harry would tell himself later he opened to say no, but he opened nonetheless and let Tom inside with minimal protest. Tom probed, teasing and light, dancing away when he coaxed Harry's tongue out to play. He made Harry chase him back into his own mouth. Harry moaned, clutching at the man above him. As Tom pulled a hairs breadth away, Harry followed after his retreating lips, eyes clenched and pursed lips wet and shiny with saliva. His lashes trembled as he continued to keep his eyes closed.

"It's not your body I want," Tom whispered against his lips, his breath teasing the plush pink morsels.

Harry eyes popped open in surprise but he found himself alone in his empty suite.

...

I've posted this challenge on AO3 and thought I'd post it here to if anyone wants to try thier hands at it

Note to readers. So, to anyone that loves a good puzzle, if you can figure out what the secret code of the letter is then you get to choose from these prizes.

1\. Know what Harry saw in the mirror

2\. Get chapter 13 emailed to you the same day chapter 12 goes up

3\. Knows another spoiler of their choice (I.e. Who is Rita's source, who stole the mirror dust, etc.)

4\. One shot of your choice and pairing

5\. Or anything else of your choice (ex. Naming a character after you :)

So, I'll give you more of a hint.

The p.s. note is the key. The first sentence says Harry will include pics of the children. So, given the ages of the children, put their ages in the order of the pictures. I'll include their ages again.

Then the next sentence take the first letter of each word and put a letter next to the ages you have of the children. So, you should have a sequence of a number and letter. (Example f34 g12 h67 etc) Now, you'll have to figure out if the letters correlates to each sentence and the number correlates to the words in the sentence or the other way around. (Hint, you'll notice Harry's letter has exactly 26 sentences)

Given the sequence of letters and numbers, find the secret code Harry is sending to Luna.

I really want to see if anyone does this :) it'll make my day if you do and also if you figure it out.

Reminder of children's ages

Salazar 28

Hadrian 21

James 17

Lily 15

Alfred 13

Rom 9

Reggie 9

Cerise 6

Orion a few months old.


	13. Chapter 13

One shot dedicated to Hanny SDS who was one of the readers to answer to the riddle in ch. 11 correctly. set in the future with grandparents tomarry, be on the lookout for a whole shitload of Easter eggs ;) so this is what the entire fic is building up to, the light at the end of a long and dangerous and dark tunnel is a super fluffy dysfunctional family :D

P.s. The character Ynnah is named after Hanny SDS :)

...interlude...

Harry loved family get togethers, he did. With his children all grown up and with their own little families to worry about, Harry had worried he would never to get to see them. But he sorely underestimated his own appeal (cooking and quiditch had a lot to do with that) and Tom's ability to command the children home whenever Harry was suffering from a bout of empty nest syndrome. Not that that happened often with nine children and growing grandchildren. He only had had three so far but he was confident he would have more.

But when his entire brood gathered, usually he was left to clean up the mess. Like now.

"Dammit, James, Teddy this has Ynnah written all over!" Harry yelled out into the empty room. He knew they cleared out as soon as Teddy heard him using his were senses so they couldn't be too far. And if they were Harry would hunt them down.

"James!" Harry snapped again. Sure he could clean this mess up by himself but he wouldn't be a good parent if he did. It was his duty to teach them how to clean up after their responsibilities. His and Tom's. Speaking of…."Tom!"

A moment later, Tom walked into the room calmly as if Harry's favorite sofa and sitting chair weren't completley destroyed by claw marks and the wooden legs of some chairs weren't chewed by canine teeth. Not to mention the rags of what was formerly a priceless 18th century Turkish carpet.

"Yes dear?"

Harry poked a finger into his husbands chest. "Do you see what your son has done to my room? Do you see this?"

Tom tilted his head and bit his lip. Harry just knew the smug bastard was trying to suppress a laugh. "It looks like Ynnah did this. Teddy has much bigger claws and our son isn't a werewolf, unless in the fifteen minutes since I last saw him Teddy managed to turn him into one."

"Don't you dare joke about this! Ynnah is James' daughter and he needs to learn how to take care of her. You don't think there are choking hazards all over this room and he sets her free in here."

"Harry, they did just adopt the girl a month ago." Tom shrugged with a what can you expression. Well, Harry can very make his errant son clean up hi daughters mess.

"James, come here now!" Harry yelled at the top of his lungs.

With a pop, Teddy apparted with a sheepish grin holding his very adorable daughter in his arms. "Hiya Harry, James said to give you this." Teddy promptly shoved a giggling Ynnah into his arms and stepped back to a safe distance. Which was apparently behind Tom, who quirked an eyebrow at the man's cowardice.

Teddy shrugged. He wasn't ashamed to admit he was a bit scared of Harry Riddle. "Better you than me, sir."

Harry wanted to go in on Teddy, he was the only receptacle he had for his anger but Ynnah choose that moment to fling her arms around his neck and plant a sticky kiss on his cheek. "Mama mad? I give kisses and fix boo boo!" She exclaimed with a wide, dimpled smile. Since both her parents preferred to be called daddy and papa, and she'd heard James call Harry mom, she took to calling Harry mama. Her bottom tooth was missing, making her look all the more adorable. Not that she was lacking in that department. With golden spun curls, sky blue eyes and always insisting on wearing a werewolf onsie, no one could resist her. It being Halloween didn't change her costume choice.

Harry laughed and poked his nose into her plush cheek. "No sweetie, I'm not mad at you, I'm mad at your papa, who I'm going to skin alive and roast and serve him for dinner."

Ynnah looked confused for a moment. But she liked roast and dinner so smiled and nodded. "Dinner, yummy papa!"

Harry beamed. "That's my girl."

Beside him, Teddy gaped. He turned to Tom dumbstruck. "Did Harry just get my daughter to agree to cannibalism?"

Tom grimaced at the disturbing thought. "I suggest you get James down here to clean this before Harry has the house elves bring out his cooking pot."

Teddy nodded and disapparated to bring James. Harry nodded in satisfaction, hoping he'd put the fear of Merlin into Teddy. Even from a young age, James had only listened to Teddy. Thank Merlin his godson had been able to pull James from the dark path he'd been on and saved him.

Now he could move onto his next annoyance. Harry snapped his attention to Tom, who flinched when he saw Harry glare.

"You, why are you not in costume?"

"Uh…the house elves misplaced my costume. But I also saw that one of them accidentally set fire to it and ruined it beyond repair before loosing it," Tom hemmed and hawed.

Harry narrowed his eyes. "Really?"

Ynnah choose to butt in helpfully, well not so helpfully for Tom though. "Pop pop lies, pop pop lies! Bad pop pop!" Harry was close enough to Tom that Ynnah could reach over and slap a pudgy hand over Tom's chest. Harry mimicked the action, but on his bicep.

"Yes, pop pop is very bad and he will be on the menu tonight if he doesn't get into his costume. Which I happen to have an extra of." Harry summoned the hidden costume from his rooms and it flew through the manor to hover besides Tom. Harry had thought it funny to dress Tom up as Severus Snape, complete with a black wig and his signature long nose.

He snatched it from air grudgingly.

"And Tom, love, if that disappears you will go naked." Plastering a saccharine smile on his face, Harry went up on his tiptoes and kissed Tom's cheek. Ynnah too kissed her pop pops cheek to copy Harry before giggling.

"I better get rewarded for this this." Tom muttered as he looked at the black costume with immense disgust.

Harry smirked mischievously. "I'll be wearing nothing under my costume, so if you behave I might just be tempted to be generous," he finished with a wink. If the smoldering look Tom sent his way was any indication, Harry would not be getting any sleep tonight. Tom growled and dropped the costume to reach for Harry instead.

Harry danced out of his husbands groping hands with a tinkering laugh. "Tom, stop it, I have Ynnah in my arms!" Tom answered him with another growl and pounced on his consort, much to Harry's secret delight. Ynnah was squished in between them, but she didn't mind. It looked like a fun game her grandparents were playing and she wanted to join in.

When Tom had a firm hold on a squirming Harry, he planted a kiss on Harry's laughing lips. He swallowed the mirthful sound until he could coax a longing moan from the shorter male. Ynnah clapped in delight and pressed her grandparents cheeks even closer.

That was how a cowed James and a frightened Teddy found them. James began to gag in exaggeration at seeing his parents so disgustingly enamored of each out. And in front of his daughter no less.

"Mom! Seriously, you're holding a kid while doing that to father. She's going to be in therapy for years!" James quickly snatched her away, but to his further consternation Harry and Tom continued to snog like horny teenagers.

At that moment, the majority of the rest of Harry's brood came into the room in their costumes. It was Halloween and as tradition dictated they all dressed up and went to the annual Halloween party the ministry threw. The tradition started during Orion's first Halloween as a baby. The entire family had gone with a family costume and chosen the Snow White cast. Harry had dressed as Happy with Orion in a red apple costume. Lily, who'd suggested the idea had gone as the evil queen, her costume changing from the imperious but beautiful queen to the old, haggard witch in hour intervals. Hadrian had went as the woodsman, narrowly beating out Salazar for the costume. So Salazar had resigned himself to being Doc, James had taken Sleepy, Alfred- bashful, Rom- Sneezy, Reggie- Dopey and Cerise- Snow White. Miraculously, Harry had gotten Tom to dress as Grumpy, a most acute description of his demeanor for that entire night. Seeing how much fun they'd had, despite Tom's and Salazar's constant grumbling, they'd made it a yearly tradition.  
They usually all gathered at Riddle manor to get ready before heading out to the ministry party together. Now, the only ones missing were Orion, who now as the minster of magic was busy at the ministry making sure everything went well. He'd recently taken over the position after Salazar stepped down.

Lily, being an events coordinator was helping him to run things smoothly. Hopefully this time she wouldn't bring a date to the event. She paraded an odd assortment of boyfriends under Tom's nose, who never managed to meet Tom's impossible standards. So Tom kept hexing them. Lily though it was a fun game and to vet out the cowardly ones who couldn't not handle her eccentric family and Tom got to practice new curses. But it was Harry who was left to fix things and on one occasion obliviate the hapless victims.

Rom and Reggie, who'd gotten married in a double wedding to the Lestrange offsprings Akash and Anush, respectively were still on their honeymoon but would be flooing in to the party at a later hour. Cerise had owled Harry earlier that she'd be late as well. A dragon had managed to escape from the reserve she operated and she was needed to safely coral it back into its habitat.

But Salazar and his family were here, as was Hadrian and Theo, plus Alfred and Scorpius and their child.

Hadrian hooted. "Seriously, get a room and fu-" his crass words were cut off as Theo aimed a well placed jab at his ribs. Harry finally managed to escape Tom's seeking lips, although the older man still kept his arms around Harry. The last time Hadrian had popped in during one of Harry and Tom's "adult times", the boy had been cursed to a sickbed for a week, vomiting up worms as punishment. That resulted in Harry banishing Tom who'd done the hexing to the doghouse for the duration of the hex. Blue balls was not an excuse it hex their son!

"Well I think it's sweet." Alfred defended. Although his husband disagreed, Scorpius kept his disgust confined to a measly sneer. Tobias Malfoy, the mirror image of Scorpius, from his slicked back blonde hair down to his posture, looked at his grandparents with a smile smirk. Catching Harry's eye, he winked and Harry flushed.

Alfred smiled sweetly up at his husband "Don't you think?" Scorpius jerked his head in a nod. It was very hard to say no when faced with Alfred's sweetness. That and Alfred was seven months pregnant with twins. He'd finally managed to break the Malfoy curse of single births and single pregnancies. Things were still very much strained between Scorpius and Tom but the grandkids kept Tom from being too angry with the blonde Malfoy and Alfred kept Scorpius distracted from Tom's thinly veiled insults.

Harry hid his burning cheeks in Tom's chest. "This is so not you being good."

Tom leaned down to whisper wickedly into his ear. "But you love me when I'm bad."

"Merlin, father, that was entirely too corny." Salazar chimed in. His wife Luna smiled dreamily from his side, as did her mirror image Phoenix Lovegood-Riddle, their daughter. Tom was still harping on Harry about Salazar allowing the hyphenation of the great Riddle name. Oh, the horror. Of all the things to get up in arms about, it was "desecrating the name of the riddles", Tom's words, not Harry's.

"But it obviously works. Sweetums, why don't you croon corny nothings into my ear?" Luna pouted up at Salazar, who frowned at the nickname. Hadrian and James took one look at their brothers face and began to guffaw.

Harry sighed and rolled his head against Tom's chest when he heard his two younger sons yelp in pain when Salazar sent them a stinging curse. Ynnah screeched in delight seeing her uncles dance on their hexed feet. Harry amended his previous thoughts. Family get together were always the absolute worst. No exceptions.

To be continued...

comment if you wanna see what the kids dress up as this time and what happens at the Halloween party for future one shots


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 12

The rest of the week passed in a flurry. There were of course whispers about the article, but their guests were no strangers to keeping captives in the name of war. Other newspapers posted numerous stories speculating on the things Rita Skeeter hinted at but nothing concrete came out of their lukewarm investigations. There was no more mention of the book but the newspapers did accurately report that the dark lord had something to do with that. Harry let Tom deal with the public fallout as he was too busy with their private one. At least the week flew by fast and they returned to Riddle manor for Christmas.

After a few days, Hadrian came to him and offered to help him escape from Tom. Tom of course found out and the two began a shouting match, this time thankfully without wands getting involved but a number of priceless statues and vases were destroyed by Hadrian's magic. Salazar often played negotiator between the two. Lily spent her time scouring the Slytherin palace libraries, looking though scrolls and spell books about the third dimension. He knew Tom wouldn't like it but Harry helped her sneak around her research as it kept her mind occupied. Alfred generally avoided Tom, who either didn't seem to notice or if he did didn't care. His son often looked on the verge of crying whenever he saw Harry. If that wasn't enough to worry about, James completely shut off Harry, Tom, and his siblings and began sleeping outside in the forests with Fenrir's pack. He rebuffed all of Harry's attempts to talk until Harry resorted to asking Tom for help. But of course, the older wizard thought James was being dramatic and told Harry that James would get over it soon. Teddy kept him updated on how James was, but the boy didn't move beyond sullen and silent. Harry tried to reach out to him but to no avail. The twins picked up on the sudden tension in the family and were much more subdued. Harry wouldn't dare say it out loud but he missed their shenanigans. Cerise though remained oblivious of the tension and often followed her father around, trailing her stuffed dragon at her feet and prattling on. Tom allowed it and he girl couldn't be more pleased.

His family was falling apart. He took solace in Orion, who was the only one it seemed that readily gave him toothy grins and greedily took his cuddles. He'd thought that the winter solstice might bring them together again but it had been the most strained one since his first celebration with Salazar when he was seven. They all apparated to Stonehenge at different times. Harry accompanied Tom with Orion, Lily, the twins, and Cerise. Salazar, who held up at work went with Hadrian who refused to stay in the same room as Tom since Harry enacted the ban on magic among family memebers. James went with Teddy, no surprise there. But it had broken Harry's heart when Alfred told him he'd be going with Scorpius and his family. Harry was mad enough to avoid talking to Draco, despite the blond sending him daily letters asking him how he was doing after the events of the ball and the morning after. Without the familial bond to connect with, the ritual had felt hollow and empty.

Christmas Eve wasn't much better. Harry was left alone nursing a cup of cocoa, wishing he could add a generous splash of fire whiskey to the cup. But he was still breastfeeding and didn't want to taint his milk supply. Tom and Salazar were working overtime on the Chinese treaty, which Harry couldn't begrudge but he demanded of all his family members that they had to be there the entire day for Christmas. His childhood Christmases had been dismal at best. He'd grown spoiled by the holidays he'd spent at the Weasleys' and he wanted those big celebrations for his children.

So when on Christmas morning-when the Riddles would usually gather to open presents and sometimes Tom would pull him under a mistletoe to steal a kiss or two, much to Harry's annoyance and embarrassment- Harry walked into an empty room, he'd had enough. Handing Orion to Dobby, he marched to the fireplace and floo'd to the ministry. He found both Salazar and Hadrian in their offices. The ministry workers were agog when the shorter wizard grabbed both of his sons ears and practically dragged them through the entire floor to the public transport fireplaces. Neither Salazar nor Hadrian would dare think to hex Harry, especially when he was in this mood and if Harry pinched their ears a bit too viciously-well they thought it prudent not to complain. Only when the Riddles left the ministry did the entire floor burst out in laughter. A few took pictures, mainly Pansy, to tease Salazar with later. It would be hard showing his face again after that debacle.

Then Harry went to find James and found him among a puppy pile with Teddy and a few of the other wolves their age. The serene, worry free expression on James face as he slept incensed Harry. So, with a stinging hex aimed strategically right on James buttocks, he dragged his third son screaming and cursing through the snow-covered ground. Lily and Alfred came willingly enough, having heard about how their elder siblings had been forced to the family room. They woke the twins and Cerise, got them to brush their teeth and brought them down hoping to curry Harry's favor.

With the complicit order to start exchanging gifts, Harry left spelling the doors and windows locked in the family room and went to the library to drag Tom to the celebration. He didn't bother knocking, just barged in to find Tom fast asleep amid mountains of papers strewn all over his desk. An empty bottle of fire whiskey rolled around on the desk and Harry caught it just in time before it could fall and shatter.

Huffing in great annoyance-drink would he?- Harry cruelly shoved open the heavy curtains to the large floor to ceiling windows. Tom hissed awake, his hands going to his bloodshot eyes.

"Bloody hell, Harry!"

"It is Christmas morning and we are exchanging presents. You come with me willingly or I drag you through the halls by your ear, much like it did to Salazar and Hadrian. Your choice."

Bleary eyes glared at him. "You wouldn't."

Harry stalked forward and slapped his hands in the desk, making Tom groan at the noise ricocheting through his drink addled head. "This is Orion's first Christmas and You. Will. Not. Ruin. IT! Now up!" Harry spelled the chair away from under Tom. He was forced to fall forward on the desk lest he fall on his ass. Tom reached for his wand to show Harry the dark lord would not be commanded as such when Harry anticipated his intentions and accio'd the wand to him.

"Don't forget Tom, because I have your soul inside me, I can still use the elder wand to its fullest ability. And right now, I'm liable to Imperio you. And if you force me to do that I might just decide to have you go door to door and sing Christmas carols." Harry menaced, completely serious.

Tom's eyes widened fractionally before giving Harry a curt, albeit begrudging, nod. Using the elder wand, Harry cast a freshening charm on Tom and spelled away the smell of alcohol on him. He then handed back the wand with a meaningful look. "Remember Tom, caroling door to door. So you'd better be on your best behavior."

Without a backwards glance, Harry stormed out of room with the full expectation that Tom would follow. When they walked into the family room with a visibly cowed Tom in tow, the room went silent. Not a single one of the presents had been opened.

"Why are the presents still under the tree?" Harry's voice quivered, the words barely legible from between his clenched teeth. The children looked at one another before lunging almost comically towards the tree and grabbed up a random package with wide, fake smiles. Anyone who thought Tom or Hadrian were the temperamental ones were deluded. Anyone who knew Harry for even a day knew he had a short fuse, and once lit there was sure to be an atomic explosion.

Harry nodded in satisfaction before taking Orion from a wide eyed Dobby and sat in his usual armchair.

"Is master Harry sir angry, sir? Can Dobby be doing anything to make master Harry sir feel better?"

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Unless you can roll back the clock, then no."

Dobby jumped up and down in excitement, his floppy ears flapping wildly. "Dobby can get master Harry sir a time turner, yes Dobby can! Then master Harry will be happy again. That will please Dobby very much sir, master Harry Potter sir!"

Alarmed, Harry frantically shook his head. "God no, please Dobby don't do that. The family is here now so it's all fine for now. Why don't you go down to the kitchens and-"

"Begin preparations for Christmas dinner, master Harry sir. It would be Dobby's greatest pleasure, master sir!" Before Harry could correct the overzealous elf, he popped away. He'd actually meant meant for Dobby to help himself to the snacks that went uneaten but whatever made Dobby happy was fine with Harry.

The children were busy making their way through mountains of presents. There were the presents from Severus, the Lestrange brothers, the Malfoys, the Parkinson's, the Carrows, Crouch, Fenrir, even Luna Lovegood and so many others plus the presents from Harry and Tom plus the presents the Riddle siblings gave to each other. In addition to that, there were presents from foreign governments to the children as a way to curry favor with Tom.

At the back of the tree, wrapped in shiny green wrapping paper were large oblong boxes. Harry levitated the identical boxes in front of each of the children, even Tom. They looked at him in confusion.

"I had them preordered, they don't come out until June of next year." Harry explained.

Intrigued, the children tore into the packages and took out identical Galactic Comet first edition brooms for each of them. For the younger children, the sleek brooms had been sized down.

For the first time in months, there was genuine excitement in James' face. "Holy fuck, no way! There's already a thousand names in the waiting list for one of these babies! I had to throw around my name just to get on the list. How did you get these?"

Harry wanted to reprimand James for using his name to get something but he just happy that James wasn't being his normal, snarky self. He smirked. "I went to school with the creator. He was my quidditch team captain for three years."

"What? Really? You know Oliver Wood? Why didn't you tell me? You could have helped get me the last model of the firebolt!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Your old firebolt wasn't broken and you really shouldn't be complaining when you're holding a limited-edition broom."

Hadrian reverently ran his hands down the smooth wood of the hand. "I read this has dragon heartstring inside the wood and it's shatter proof. It's got the best speed and makes the sharpest turns."

James smiled eagerly. "I know, and you can customize it so that only you can fly it. And you can sync your wand to it did you know?"

"Yeah? Show me." James scooted over to Hadrian to show him the mechanics. Though James and Hadrian weren't as close as Hadrian was to Salazar, they both shared a love for quidditch and flying that was only matched by Harry. Next to Harry, Hadrian had been immensely proud when he'd heard his brother was being scouted to play professionally during his sixth year.

Salazar on the other hand gingerly held it up. "Did you really need to get me one too?" His eldest son wasn't the best of flyers. The only Riddle child that hadn't played quidditch at Hogwarts was Salazar; it was a huge point of contention for him. It was something that he didn't excel at and would prefer to not be reminded of it.

"Yes, it is necessary because we're all going to play quidditch, even your father. I will be team gold and your father will be team green." Harry declared,. "This is mandatory by the way." He pointedly looked at Hadrian and James. They were too excited to try out the new brooms to put up much protest, though.

"I'll watch Orion while you play," Tom offered, who hadn't even opened his present.

Harry smiled sweetly and reminded him if his earlier threat. "Caroling, Tom, caroling. And Dobby is more than capable of looking after Orion but it's nice of you to offer."

"That threat is quickly growing old." Tom grumbled. He finally reached for the present and began unwrapping it. He held it aloft the same way Salazar had, as if he'd never seen such an object.

"How about this, we'll play for favors. If you win, you get whatever you want from me and if I win I get whatever I want from you. No restrictions."

Suddenly interested, Tom perked up. "Anything I want?"

Harry rolled his eyes. The wizard was so predictable- he only focused on his win as if that as a given. Did Tom not remember Harry was the youngest seeker in a century? "Anything you want." Harry himself had something he wanted in mind that he knew Tom would never agree to. He extended his hand and with an innocent smile offered the deal. "Magical bet so that we can't renege on it."

Without thinking, Tom took his hand and incanted the spell. A light, purplish line wrapped around their clasped hands to seal the bet. "You Gryffindor's are so foolish," Tom smirked, already tasting victory. Harry begged to differ. Who said Slytherins had the monopoly on being sneaky?

Smiling cheekily at Tom, he offered "you can pick first, you are older than me."

Tom huffed and nodded his head at Salazar who quietly walked over to his side. Harry waved his wand and his sons entirely black ensemble turned to silver and green colors.

"Okay, I'll pick James."

They continued to sort through the children, with Tom taking Lily next, and Harry took Hadrian. Then Tom took the twins, who were a package deal anyway and left Cerise and Alfred to Harry. He welcomed them all with a hug while Tom huddled his own team and already began strategizing. Harry smiled, glad they were putting aside their differences at least for a little while.

Harry was nominated seeker by a unanimous vote, Hadrian taking the position of beater and Alfred played keeper, and James and Cerise played chasers. It was the same positions they all played at Hogwarts, except for Cerise of course. On Tom's team, Tom and Salazar took the positions of chasers, Rom played a beater and Reggie a keeper while lily played seeker, same as her position on the Hogwarts team. Since the game was so prominent on so many of their lives, they'd often have these games but they'd never actually played family to family. Usually Harry and the older kids played with a group of death eaters.

They trooped out of the house and to the stadium sized quidditch pitch behind the manor. Their contingent of death eater guards stood off to the sidelines, already placing bets. Harry grinned and waved at a few of them he was friendly with. Dobby had Orion bundled up in blankets, regardless of the warming charm placed on him. He was sleeping at the moment. The two teams, now in color coordinated uniforms of their teams met in the middle of the field. Harry kicked off and faced off with Lily, who gave him a friendly wave. Below, Tom and Salazar faced off with James and Cerise. Rom was already playing with his club while Hadrian gripped his tight and at the ready. Both Alfred and Reggie flew over to their goal posts waiting for the whistler to blow.

Though there was a large age difference among the players, it was pretty evened out when it came to their skill lever combined with their respective ages. And the youngest children, who though hadn't played at Hogwarts yet looked to certainly head that way. Cerise, not much of quidditch player, was never the less a brilliant flyer. She would make an excellent seeker if she put her mind to it. And the twins, well, they were a men and on the ground so they could be no les on brooms.

A death eater brought out the balls and stood in the middle of the opposing teams. He held out his wand, holding a quivering snitch. With a large bellow emanating from his wand tip, he released the golden ball and the match began.

In hindsight, Harry had sorely miscalculated and overestimated his children. He'd wanted a nice, clean game that he was sure would dampen the animosity among his family. But who was he kidding-they were all Riddles to the core and it showed prominently in the game.

It all started off well, with both Lily and Harry flying around looking for the seeker. They'd shared a small smile, in no rush to capture the small golden ball. They'd bother wanted to see the family, especially Tom and Salazar who never played, try out the game. Harry had seen the snitch in the first five minutes but he'd forced himself to ignore it. Lily having learned from the best (Harry) had probably already seen it but she too ignored it.

James more than made up for Cerise's inexperience. Matched with Tom's and Salazar's horrible coordination and shaky flying, it gave James the advantage. But he had Rom sending bludger after bludger careening after him so often James was forced to drop the quaffle into Salazar's unsteady hands to defend himself from the flying balls. Hadrian should have been protecting his brother but he was too busy sending every single one of his bludgers at Tom. Four times Tom had been knocked off his broom and once he hadn't been able to stop his fall. All the death eaters gasped in horror when they saw Tom plummet to the field from a fifty-foot drop. Tom used his broom to break the fall but not without sustaining some nasty cuts along his forearm. Rarely did Alfred and Reggie have a chance to block a ball. A few points were scored but after Tom's nasty fall, the entire game devolved to cheating. Tom cursed Hadrian's beater stick to attack him. Rom multiplied his bludger to attack all of Harry's team. Hadrian, once gaining back control of his beater stick sent another bludger his father's way then exploded it into small shrapnels that embedded themselves into Tom's exposed arms and thighs. James transformed one of the goal posts to have teeth and kept snapping at Reggie every time he got close.

It wasn't all because of Tom. The kids were just very competitive and each wanted to win. When Harry began a vigilant search of the snitch to stop all the madness, Lily too began her search. She didn't want to be beat by her mother and zipped around him to catch the snitch. They spent thirty minutes flying around each other, barely avoiding getting eaten by the magicked goal post and being hit by one of Rom's bludgers before Harry made a hard turn in front of Lily, sending her crashing to the stands among the death eaters and caught up the snitch. Lily wasn't hurt, one of the death eaters created a cushioning charm that safely delivered her to the ground. She huffed and kicked up grass with a fierce scowl when Harry triumphantly held up his snitch.

James and the rest of his team yelled in triumph. Salazar, sweaty and looking unkempt, flipped his brother off before stomping back to the manor without a word. Tom growled at Hadrian and sent a tripping charm at him before following Salazar. The twins stuck their tongues out and promised dire retributions before thrusting their noses up in the air and following their father and older brother. Harry rolled his eyes at their antics. Sportsmanship must be a foreign concept to their repertoire.

Harry turned to his team with a beaming smile. "Good show everyone."

Cerise shot him a disgruntled look. Her braids were a mess and there was streak of mud across her cheek. Hadrian was dusting himself off but wore a satisfied smirk. James too was happy crowing to the death eaters about his amazing new broom. Alfred was the only one who smiled back at him.

"That was really cool to see you, that last turn was so sharp you were a blur," Alfred praised. James walked away from the death eaters who were settling their bets, half of them triumphant and the others aggrieved to part ways with their galleons.

James came up behind Alfred and slapped his shoulder. "He's right mom. You could have played for any quidditch team if you'd wanted. You were brilliant!" It dawned on him a second later why Harry hadn't had the opportunity to do that. His face fell and he turned around.

Harry reach out and stopped him. "You played brilliantly too." James nodded his head but couldn't look at Harry.

"Is was because of father you didn't play for the Chudely Canons," he muttered with great conviction.

Harry sighed and shook his head. "No, James, I never wanted to play professionally. I just liked the game. I actually wanted to be an auror."

James rolled his eyes. "Same difference. You're still stuck here playing housewife." He turned away and headed for the manor before Harry could say anything else.

They all headed back to the manor, mainly to freshen up. Cold winter air blew over their sweat streaked faces and dampened uniforms, making them shiver. Harry hurried to get Orion inside, his child fussing and wanting to be fed. It was almost time for his afternoon nap. After Harry cleaned up and put Orion to bed, he went in search of Tom to claim his bet. He didn't have to search too far; Tom was in the atrium, which also doubled as a greenhouse, with Nagini, feeding her live rats. They were kept grouped in a cage.

"Shouldn't she be chasing them?" Harry questioned, walking to stand beside Tom.

Tom tipped over the cage with his foot and the creatures went scurrying away to hide in the shrubbery. Nagini lifted her lazy head and hissed at Harry before slithering away to hunt down her prey. Harry chuckled.

"I was spoiling her. She is my pet," Tom explained, if a bit defensively.

"You know a normal pet is an owl or a toad or a cat. But I forget you make pets out of basilisks."

"You expect me to take on a cat?" Tom spat out the word as if it was something highly toxic.

"Hmm, that does seem too tame for a dark lord. You need something intimidating and dangerous like a dragon." At Tom's pause, Harry jerked his head in the negative. "No, no, no. Get that thought out of your head right this instance. You are not going to do that."

"Harry, she's very responsible and there will be death eaters to supervise."

"Tom, you will not be getting Cerise a dragon!"

"Is that your favor for the bet?" Tom asked with the slyness of a fox.

Harry blinked. "I almost fell for that. That's unfair Tom. You don't even know what I was going to ask for."

"I can imagine it is not something I will like. So I'm giving you this choice. Do you really want our daughter, our six year old daughter to have a dragon?"

Harry sighed and shook his head. "This is important to me. Please don't use Cerise against me. I thought you wanted to start over and this is not the way to do it."

Tom grunted. "Fine, then, what is your request?"

Taking a deep breath, Harry revealed "I want to be there tomorrow when Ron is released from Azkaban."

…

There was a small room, the location undisclosed and only known by a few who had clearance, hidden deep in the ministry. It served as a sort of transition room for prisoners going into or coming out of Azkaban. Guards were stationed there for 24/7 and were rotated out frequently at four hour intervals. Dementors hovered in the generous space given by the expandable ceiling and the guards had to protect themselves by a patronus, hence the frequent rotation. A clerk sat by a desk in the middle of the plain, nondescript room keeping track of all scheduled released and incoming inmates, took inventory of their belongings and supervised any and all visitors that wished to say goodbye to the condemned or greet the fortunate released. A shimmery, translucent curtain disappeared into the shadows of the high ceiling just a few feet in front of the clerk.

It had never been as crowded as it was today, but that was to be expected with such a high profile prisoner. Ronald Weasley had fought in the Great War for the Order but had been incarcerated ten years prior for orchestrating a devastating attack on a prominent Death Eater family. Harry had convinced Tom to pardon the remaining Order members after the war officially ended as a sign of good faith but he couldn't protect them if they decided to commit crimes after the pardon. The pardon only applied to crimes before the war. And truth be told, Harry had no sympathy for Ron after he'd attacked the family. The order had lost, Ron should have accepted that. But he had still been Harry's very first friend. And Harry was sorry for the circumstances that Ron to Azkaban.

Harry stood with Hadrian and Salazar behind a multitude of protests Tom gracelessly realized he had to grant Harry his request. He had wanted to be there with him though. But Harry had quickly nixed that idea. Him being here was antagonizing enough, but to have Tom here too would be asking the Weasley family to outright attack them. So they'd compromised and Harry agreed to take Salazar with him, knowing his eldest was the most level headed and wouldn't go off like a firecracker. But of course Hadrian found out and just when Salazar had been escorting Harry down the empty halls, he'd popped up and insisted on tagging along.

Clear to the other side of the room stood the entire Weasley clan and their extended family, with a few notable missing persons. The severely aged and withered patrons Molly and Arthur stood in the middle framed by the contingent of red heads and their significant others. Bill held his veela wife Fleur close with their three children. Charlie looked tense, eyes flitting between the fluttering magical curtain to the Riddles. Hermione stood with her back ramrod straight and shoulders stiff, her hands around her two children Rose and Hugo. Ginny glared venomously at the two Riddle children. Hadrian responded with a mocking smirk and Salazar ignored her all together. Dean Thomas was trying to calm his girlfriend down and turn her attention away from the brothers. Angelina Johnson, who wasn't technically part of the family also came with her daughter by Fred Weasley. Shacklebolt, former head auror and the man's who'd defended Ron at his trial with the help of Susan Bones, another Order sympathizer was present to lend support and oversee the process. The ones able to do magic cast a small army of patroni to welcome back their imprisoned family member.

The missing Weasleys – Percy, Fred, and George visibly hurt Harry to see, or not see in this case. Percy had been killed fighting for the order, as had Fred. Tragically, George, unable to face his grief committed suicide soon after his twin brother's death.

Harry knew the family blamed him. Percy died during a raid Harry had lead during his time with the Order and he'd blamed himself for not being able to save him. But Fred had died two years after he'd surrendered to Tom to be able to stay with Salazar. George had been unable to cope with the loss and soon followed after overdosing on alcohol. So of course the Weasleys blamed him, they had every right to. But that didn't mean it hurt any less or that a day didn't go by that Harry didn't thinks of the twins. Every time he saw Rom and Reggie he was reminded of the twins. It was bittersweet.

Elissa Rathbone, the clerk cleared her throat to the empty room and walked briskly to stand before the curtain. She tapped her wand to it and it began to glow. A few seconds later two prison guards entered through the veil with a thin and haggard man shuffling between them. Matted red hair dulled by captivity hid the majority of the man's face but from what Harry could see, calling Ron a man was generous. He was a mere shadow of his former self. Deprived of sun, food, and freedom the man's already pale skin was deathly white and paper thin. Bones protruded hungrily from the thin, bruised skin. Skeletal features grimaced out a smile when he saw his children, who were all crying. The Weasleys rushed to Ron and enveloped the malnourished man in their arms. Hermione almost knocked him down in her overzealous affections, hiding her sobs against his thin chest.

Harry was an intruder here, he realized. He'd wanted so bad to apologize, to tell Ron how sorry he was, to perhaps make him understand that he couldn't fight for a cause he didn't believe in. But that was selfish-because that was for Harry. He'd needed for the Weasleys to see he was sorry. It hadn't crossed his mind how painful and hurtful it would be for them to see him.

With a choked breath, Harry grasped Salazar's wrist in a death grip. His eldest son jerked to attention, as did Hadrian, who'd been watching the reunion with great interest.

"We shouldn't be here, we should go," Harry was already turning and ready to run out of the room as fast as possible. He could more acutely feel the ominous chill of the dementors above him. The creatures sensed the morbid turn of his emotions and it was intoxicating to them. The guards strengthen their patroni at the increased closeness of the dementors, who flew down a bit closer.

"Harry."

He halted at the quiet croak, the voice rusty from disuse. Dread laced his limbs as he turned and faced Ron for the first time in over a decade.

"Come to gloat, mate? And with your devils spawns no less?" A menacing scowl, turned all the more terrifying on Ron's skeletal features made Harry take a step back. Salazar and Hadrian took a step forward but Harry held them back and shook his head at them. This was not their fight, it was his.

Harry shook his. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come. I-I'm sorry."

"No!" Ron exploded. "I should be sorry for ever thinking you were my friend. All you were interested in was fame. You showed your true colors during the tournament didn't you? And then that shit with Pettigrew? That was disgusting. You belong with Voldemort, you two are the same!"

"Ron, I-"

"Enough, Harry." Hermione interrupted with a tired glare. "Enough. No one asked you to be here. None of us wanted you here. Because of you, we lost family members we loved."

As if he'd been physically struck, Harry stumbled back into Salazar's body.

Ginny chimed in. "Hugo here was still in Hermione's stomach when they took Ron away, and Rose was just a toddler. They don't even know their father. This is the first time Hugo has even seen him. And you dare come in here to what? See how you've won over us poor Weasleys?"

A bit uncomfortable, Arthur put a hand on his daughter shoulders. But she shook it off with a growl. "No, dad, he needs to hear this through his perfect, insulated little bubble. While he's living it up in the lap of luxury as Voldemort's pet, we've been suffering."

"I never meant for this to happen!" Harry burst out. The burn of tears stung his nose.

"Just leave. I wanted the first thing I saw to be my wife, my daughter and my son. Not the wizard who betrayed everyone who cared for him." Ron turned his back on him and the Weasleys, one by one followed. Only one red head lingered, exchanging a meaningful nod with Harry before they too turned. They went over to the clerk's desk to gather Ron's belongs and waited to be escorted out to the general floo area.

Harry stumbled out of the room with Salazar. Hadrian lingered for a sneered parting shot. "You expected a child to fight your battles and you sent him out to face hell. You dare condemn him for putting his family above you lot, who showed him no loyalty?"

Ron shook off Hermione's restraining hand and stumbled forward a few steps. "He doesn't know the meaning of loyalty. You Riddles are all scum. Voldemort tortured and killed people, and Harry was no better. You don't know half of the shit they've done."

Hadrian whipped out his wand but Ron didn't blink. The other Weasleys didn't dare to pull their own wands out, knowing it would be a death sentence.

"Hadrian?" Harry called his son back with a sharp cry and after a moment of hesitation, the hotheaded boy followed his mother out of the room.

"What did I tell you about being silent?" Harry growled. He was angry at himself but found himself unfairly taking it out on Hadrian.

"Should I have just stood there and allowed them to insult you?" He asked disbelievingly.

Harry deflated. "I deserved it." Harry held up a hand when Hadrian opened his mouth again. He ran a shaking hand over his face.

Salazar pulled the hand away but kept it in his firm grasp. "Shall I escort you back home now?"

Harry nodded. He squeezed his sons hand to let him know he was okay. Tom had been right, this had been a terrible idea.


	15. Chapter 15

Betad by mangoarcher1802

Chapter 13

It had taken a lot of convincing and negotiating and guilting and then finally threatening with the twins to get Tom to let him go out to meet Luna on the 28th. It was the threat of sticking the twins on Tom that worked. He pulled out that card only when he was really desperate. Especially after the fiasco at the ministry when Harry came home with red rimmed eyes, Tom had been more reluctant to let him go outside. It was only because it was Luna that Tom let him go. He saw her as harmless and Harry usually came home with a lightened mood after one of their get togethers.

There was little café fashioned in the Parisian style, a hole in the corner place, in Hogsmead. Cheekily called La Petite Mort, it was a neutral place Harry could meet Luna. According to Luna, it had the best rose macarons. With an order of the famed sweets and a tea tray for them, Harry waited. Half a dozen death eaters in plain clothes surrounded him in various camouflages. One was even a waiter at the restaurant. Tom knew his habits and with the recent developments, Harry had to be extremely careful.

He'd gotten Luna's owl with the message saying she would be free to come meet him today, which was really code for the go ahead to the meeting. Though the message said to meet at Honeydukes, what he'd really meant was to have Luna leave her hair and a vial of polyjuice potion for the person he'd wanted to meet. They would have an hour to talk here, and even then it would have to be in codes. Privacy was a concept Tom was unfamiliar with. Paranoia ran rampant among all the other idiosyncrasies in that man's head. It had only gotten worst after the Russian incident.

"Harry."

Glancing at his wrist watch, Harry saw she, or rather he, was right on time. Noon to the dot.

Luna stood stiffly before him, with none of her airy grace. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a disguised death eater guard scrutinizing them over his cup of tea. Plastering a large smile over his face, he pushed back his chair and wrapped his arms around Luna in a stiff hug.

"Luna, it is so good to see you!" The false cheer finally alerted Luna to the eyes around them and she offered a stilted smile in return.

Harry waved at the seat before him and she took the proffered seat. Her normally serene expression was confused and if not a bit angry. Before she could speak, Harry pushed the plate of macarons closer to her and took a sip of his lukewarm tea.

"I ordered your favorites, rose macarons." Luna looked at the plate and took one gingerly in her fingers, expecting it to be poisoned. She lifted it slowly to her mouth, looking at him the entire time, before gingerly taking a bite. She chewed slowly and put the rest of the delicacy back on the generous pyramid of pink colored circles.

"Perhaps you are not hungry." Harry reached forward for one of them and took a big bite. He made a show of chewing enthusiastically on it, though it tasted like dust to his taste buds.

"No, I am not. I was curious…" Luna, too obvious in her perusal, looked around for any suspicious faces but the death eaters were too well trained to be noticed by untrained eyes like hers. "…why did you call me here?"

"I haven't seen you in long time and it is normal to miss ones friends. How are things going with you? I've heard you opened a new office in New York?," Harry begged with his eyes for Luna to understand.

Luna frowned for a minute before nodding uncertainly.

"I've always wanted to visit New York. I mean I've never actually been anywhere, not voluntarily anyway and certainly not for vacations." Harry prattled on inanely. He needed to lull the death eaters into a sense of complacency enough for the them to overlook what he was about to do next.

"I'm not sure that I can Harry. A few things have come up-" Luna yelped when Harry's clumsy hands tipped her untouched cup of tea all over her robes.

"Merlin, Luna I'm so sorry! Let me help you." Harry rounded the table with a napkin in hand and began patting at the rapidly cooling wet spot. Luna tried to brush his hands off at the same time as she tried to clean up the mess herself with her wand. Two waiters hovered near them ready to help.

"Harry stop, its nothing I can just-" this time Luna cut herself off when she felt the crinkle of parchment being tucked into the waistband of her jeans by Harry's fumbling fingers.

Laughing nervously, Harry waived the waiters off. One of them brought over another fresh pot of tea and a new cup set for Luna. They cleaned up the spilled mess on the table and took away the cup. Harry walked back to his seat. "Again, I'm sorry. I'm so clumsy sometimes and it's at the worst times too! At a ministry party last year, I tripped over the Princess of Hungary's train and fell on top of the Minister of Magic of Canada. You remember, it was all over the papers. Yours was the only one that found it funny, all the others thought it was disgraceful of me."

Luna smiled in amusement. "Yes, I remember." Relaxing a bit, Luna sat back in her seat. "How have you been Harry?" She asked with genuine concern. Her voice lowered an octave. "I know the past days haven't exactly been easy for you, but you have to understand how much more painful it was for…us. It's like things have been stagnant for ten years."

Before Luna could continue and give away their entire game, Harry reached forward and enfolded her idle hands in his own. "I've learned I need to stay out of things I have no business being in. It was a mistake." He said meaningfully.

Luna nodded. "It was still nice seeing you. So how are the children? Hadrian still giving you trouble?"

"No more than usual. I'm sure you've heard about Rita Skeeter's article and things have been a bit strained. But otherwise, health wise and everything-all the kids are good. Great, actually." Harry regaled Luna all about his children. The real Luna knew all of this from their frequent correspondences but this polyjuiced Luna didn't. And Harry supposed they'd been friends once, and they might like to know about his children. Sure Severus, Fenrir, and the Lestrange brothers acted as uncles to the children and the Malfoys were a second home to the kids, but they were all Tom's minions that Harry inherited. He'd have liked his children to know his own friends, the ones he'd made at Hogwarts and that knew him in his younger years.

In the middle of a story about the twins and their endless terror, a strand of Luna's moonlight blond hair turned to a garish, orange red.

"I'll have to cut this meeting short, Luna. I have to get back to Orion." Harry caught Luna's confused expression and gestured with his eyeballs towards the revealing strand. Luna quickly caught on.

"Of course. I must be off as well. It's time consuming you know, running a magazine and all." Luna stood up so quickly, her chair toppled back. But before the bit of furniture could bang on the ground, a hand caught it and put it upright.

Tom towered above Luna, smirking. "An interesting shade, Ms. Lovegood. Though I cannot say it suits you."

Luna gulped. Her wand slipped out of her wrist holster and her rapidly changing fingers curled around the wooden length.

"What are you doing here?" Harry hoped to divert Tom's attention to him. He would not put another soul in danger because of him.

Tom called over a waiter to bring him a seat at the table. Fearful of him-as they should be- they hastened to comply and a second later Tom folded his large body between Harry and Luna. "Sit." He commanded but he didn't allow Luna time to comply on her own.

"Tom-"

Taking a hold of Harry chin, Tom leaned in close and let the glamour fall from his eye. "Later." Harry pulled away from him with a glare.

Two death eaters appeared behind Luna and forcibly pushed the girl into her vacated seat. Her skin rippled over her bones, expanding to accommodate a greater muscle mass. Her robes stretched over her expanding shoulders and chest. Muscles and bones expanded and shrank until Bill Weasley sat before them. Stark white claw marks stood out prominently across his face. Death eater hands still shackled him to the seat.

"Mr. Weasley, I cannot say it is a pleasure."

Bristling, Bill sneered. "Voldemort. It seems we share the same sentiments."

"I had always thought that Fenrir should have eaten you instead of keeping you as a pet. I should have pressed the issue harder back then. I will never understand the side bond." Tom stole Harry's cup of tea and took a sip for himself, grimacing.

"My dear, this is offensive to the tongue." Tom used wandless magic to warm up the contents to his liking. "Much better. Now why would you two be sneaking around my back just to have tea? Something to hide, perhaps?" He pulled out his wand and rested it in front of him. Bill followed the movements closely.

Harry slapped his hand over Tom's and the wand. "Tom, please, I called him here –"

"to apologize." Bill interrupted. "Ron was angry when Harry came to the ministry two days ago. It was because of you that he was in Azkaban for ten year."

Tom flipped his hand so that his palm pressed flush against Harry's sweaty ones. "Give me a reason to believe that lie."

Harry huffed and folded his hands over his chest. He'd never been good at lies, or liked them for that matter, so he let the silence speak for him. Tom nodded, as if that was what he'd been expecting.

"Search him." The death eaters sprung to action and cast revealing spells all over Bill. They broke through his bodily wards and ripped open his clothes. It yielded nothing. Growing impatient with their incompetence, Tom let go of Harry's hand and cast a silent spell. A small folded note appeared from thin air in front of bill. He floated to in front of him and opened the note.

He read it with a growing frown, casting a few spells on the paper. When nothing changed, Tom raised a brow and looked at Harry in question. Wordlessly he showed him the note.

 _Ron I am sorry. I never meant for things to turn out the way they have, but nothing can make me regret my children. I know you hate me, that Hermione hates me but I will always choose them. I am just sorry that choosing them put you in harm's way. I can only wish the best for you. Know that I will treasure our friendship always._

 _-Harry_

"You were telling the truth, Mr. Weasley. How refreshing to be proven wrong. However, I do disagree with the contents. You have nothing to apologize for, Harry." He crumpled the paper.

Harry had to force himself to keep his relieved sigh a prisoner. He hadn't been sure if revealing spells would work against muggle invisible ink; he'd worked in his secret message within the spaces of the fake note on the assumption that most magic didn't work on muggle inventions. As long as Bill got the real note to Hermione and Ron, then Harry was happy to perpetuate this lie. Coming from muggles herself, Harry just hoped that Hermione remembered the few times they'd exchanged letters using invisible ink during the Great War.

"You may decide a lot of things in my life but you do not get to decide for what I feel sorry for." Harry pried open Tom's fist and took out the piece of paper. With gentle hands he smoothed the paper out and refolded it before offering it to Bill again. "I need Ron and Hermione to know this, so if you could please have your lackeys take their hands off Bill?"

With an undecipherable look, Tom tilted his head fractionally in a nod. The death eaters took their hands of Bill.

Huffing, Bill stood up from his seat and straightened his robes. "Harry, it was nice seeing you. But I think I will take my leave now." He gingerly stepped around the hulking death eaters and walked off. Though it was the holidays, Hogsmead still had a decent amount o people visiting. Bill disappeared among the other witches and wizards. Unnoticed to Harry or Bill, a death eater followed.

"Do I have to monitor all of your correspondences to Ms. Lovegood now?" Tom drawled.

Harry took back his cup. ""You don't have to monitor anything of mine."

"Don't I?"

Harry blew delicately on his tea. "How did you figure out the code in my letter to Luna?"

"I didn't." Harry blinked at him from over the rim of his cup, asking for an explanation wordlessly. "I'm having every one of the Weasleys followed."

Harry slammed his cup down. Brown liquid sloshed over the rim and stained the pristine white lace cloth below. "What?! Why?" Now Hermione would never be able to do what he'd asked of her in his note.

"I saw a memory in Umbridge's mind. She was in a meeting with Rita Skeeter and a red haired man." Tom seemed annoyed at having to explain. He didn't like to share anything with Harry but discovered that keeping Harry in the dark put him in more danger.

"And you're tell me this just now? And please don't tell me you think only the Weasleys have red hair in this entire country?"

"Not with that particular shade of red, there is not. You should have asked him what he and his family were doing associating with W.A.N.D.S. I did not think members of the order would associate with blood traitors."

Harry frowned. Tom wouldn't lie to him about this, but he could not image the Weasleys he knew willingly wanting to work with a woman like Umbridge. Perhaps they wanted Rita's book to discredit Tom, but in the article Skeeter had stated the book was primarily about him. But then he was a horcrux; what if Rita knew about horcruxes? It wasn't exactly a secret, anyone could find out about horcruxes if they did enough research like Tom had when he'd been a teen. Lily was a perfect example. He was at a large disadvantage not knowing what was in the book.

"Did you get a chance to look at that book?" He was already thinking up of ways to cajole Tom into letting him see the book.

"Yes. And no, you cannot read it. I already burned it. Someone took pages out of the book, but from what was left it is nothing good."

"What do you mean pages were taken out? Who do you think did it? How could that happen, Tom?" Harry's voice got louder and louder in his agitation. If pages were missing than that meant someone had them, and that someone could give them to other someones. Someones like his children, who had no business knowing about Harry's and Tom's past more than what they'd already told them. "Tom, what if the missing pages turn up in the media? And our children see? Merlin knows what Rita's written."

Tom clenched his fists, his nostrils flared. His upper lip curled over his sharp, canine teeth. "You think I don't know that? I've taken precautions but we still have to be wary. Which is why I can't have you meeting Order members at your leisure."

"You pardoned them. They are no longer associated with the Order," Harry refuted belligerently. The only reason the entire Weasley family wasn't rotting away in prison cells like many other Order members was because of Harry. He'd used his pull with Tom to influence their trials. They'd always been covered during raids and any death eater witnesses had been silenced by Tom's after Harry pleaded with him to spare them. He'd been pregnant with Hadrian at the time, highly hormonal and prone to random outburst of crying. Tom, who's been ill equipped to handle a pregnant man readily gave in to most of his demands when he'd started crying.

"That is irrelevant!" Tom snapped. "You are a Riddle; therefore they see you as an enemy. They will kill you."

Harry laughed. "Last time I check, my name was still Harry James Potter, not a Riddle in sight in that name."

Tom leaned forward until Harry was pressed back against his seat almost uncomfortably. He slouched down to avoid him.

"How tragically true. I can marry you and give you my name, would that make you happy?"

Huffing, Harry pushed his hands over Tom's chest trying to breath without the man inches from his face. "Do I look crazy? I don't particularly dream of joining my magical core to yours in a marriage and giving you even more power over me than this collar does."

Tom let Harry push him back and relaxed back in his seat. "Pity. We could have had a wedding night to look forward too."

Harry gasped, making Tom smirk in delight. Blushing profusely and with nothing to say Harry reached over for a macron and stuffed his face with it. Then he took another one to munch on as he glared at Tom. He didn't stop until the entire plate was finished.

Brushing crumbs from the corner of his mouth, Harry stood up. "Since you interrupted so rudely, you can pay the check."

Harry flounced off without another backwards glance. He didn't look back to see if Tom was doing as he'd been told. He weaved through the other wizards down the street towards Honeydukes. A hand grabbed his elbow and stopped his short. Recognizing the iconic duo, other wizards gave them a wide berth as they hurried along.

"Where do you think you are going?"

Harry pulled experimentally on his arm but Tom had an iron hold on him. "I am going to Honeydukes to pick up some candy for the children. The minute they heard I was coming to Hogsmead, they wouldn't let go of my leg until I promised to bring them some. And if I come home empty handed, I'm going to blame you and let you weather the twins wrath."

Reasonably cowed, Tom released Harry's elbow. Instead, he intertwined his arms with Harry's.

Looking at their enjoined arms, Harry looked at it as if an extra limb had sprouted out of his side. "Um, what are you doing?"

Tom started straight ahead as he pulled Harry towards the brightly lit store down the snowy street. "I am accompanying you to your little shopping trip."

Well, that was no explaination at all. Speaking slowly as if to a child, Harry asked again. "Yes, but why are you walking me there. It's more like you dragging me but thats just semantics, I suppose. But don't you have dark lord things to do? Like crucio-ing hapless minions?"

Tom huffed and rolled his eyes. Actually rolled his eyes. Harry smiled. "I needed a break from their stupidity."

Harry chuckled. A harsh breeze blew cold air at them and Harry instantly cuddled closer to the closest source of warm. "That's very responsible of you. You might get carpel tunnel syndrome if you don't rest your wrist for a few days."

Tom was not amused. "Besides, Salazar is running the office and the twins were driving me crazy. Thanks to Cerise I now know more that I want to know about the the digestive habits of dragon. Those three have made the manor uninhabitable. So I thought I could spend some time with you."

"Ah, so I'm the least objectionable option?" Harry looked behind the table to see a contingent of death eaters openly following them. He was sure even more were following them with notice-me-not spells.

"Yes."

They walked for a while until they stood into the doorway of the candy store. Tom signaled for the death eater to go on ahead and secure the place. They would make sure there were no threats and clear the store out of all other visitors. It was all normal procedure.

In the interim, Tom steered him under a small hang way to protect them from the falling snow. A few of the snow flecks decorated Tom's black hair and shoulder. He plucked a particulate large snowflake out of Tom's hair with a small laugh then blew it into Tom's face. At the man's grimace, Harry grinned wide.

Tom took out his wand and with one spell, cleared himself and Harry of the white flecks.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You're no fun. If I attacked you with a snowball I'll bet you'd just melt it away before it hit you."

When he was a child, he and Dudley used to play in the snow during winters; if it could be called that at all. Dudley used to make a game out of pegging him with snowballs, always aiming for his face. His glasses had broken once during such an assault. With his children though, he got to rewrite the past. Every winter found him and his children roughhousing and playing in the snow. Snow angels, snow forts, epic snowball fights, snow men, the works. Even Salazar who came only for Harry as a nostalgic nod to winters he used to share alone with Harry before Hadrian and the rest came along. He'd stand and glare at anyone who dared to even think about hitting him with a snowball; the only one who got away with it was Harry of course. Salazar would grumble and glare while Harry laughingly offered him a snowball to get back at him. The stoic boy would always decline with a sneer, saying there were better ways to get back at his mother other than the simple (and unimaginative) means Harry had suggested. How much his eldest son reminded him of Tom.

"Why would you throw a snowball at me? It has no purpose"

"For fun Tom! Lemme show you."

Harry bent down to scoop up some snow. Packing his handful tight between his palms, he took a small step back from Tom and gently tossed the snowball at Tom's chest. It smashed against the solid wall of muscle and crumpled in a white flurry. Tom brushed off the remnants of snow clinging to his dark coat.

"Yes, fun." The bored intonation of his voice said otherwise. He pulled Harry back under the hang way, as Harry had stepped out far enough to be exposed to the weather again. Not a millimeter separated them as Tom brushed off the new layer of snow on Harry's wild mess of hair. The younger wizard stayed docile under his ministrations.

"We could almost pass for boyfriends you know," Harry mused. "Standing underneath this hang way, maybe to steal a kiss. I've never had one. Never been on a date either. When I was fighting for the Order during those six years away, I was too busy hating you and the death eaters to do anything."

Tom's hand dropped from Harry's hair. "And now?"

"Now I'm taking care of unruly Riddles to be too bothered to have a boyfriend - not to mention a really possessive bastard that's keeping me under constant surveillance," Harry adopted a light tone, though a hint of censure seeped through the words.

"What does a boyfriend do?" Tom asked haltingly.

Harry cocked his head to the side in confusion. "You're asking the man who's never had one."

Tom shrugged. "Indulge me."

Bemused, Harry pulled up all the tropes he'd seen in movies and the few juvenile examples he'd seen in his Hogwarts years. He wasn't thinking of the couples he'd seen in adult hood. They knew themselves, knew their goals and expectations out of a relationship. No, he was talking about boyfriends at a time when it was new and fast and wild. The first time a couple kissed, when they started depending on one another with all the drama and exuberance of a teen. With unrealistic and unfulfilled hopes of a teenage romance, how beautiful and messy it was. Harry had never had that. He wanted the unexperienced fumbles of clumsy hands exploring in excitement, the shared laughter of awkward moments between two strangers just getting to know each other. He supposed older wizards also experienced the same but how would he know? He'd been thrust into the life of an adult with all the responsibilities the second Trelawny spoke that prophesy.

"I don't know, I guess they hug and kiss. They talk about whatever comes up to their minds and they make corny and stupid jokes. They grope each other when they get the chance and are practically inseparable. They smile whenever they think of each other, they fight but always make up. They overlook each other's faults, not because they don't pay attention but because the good outweighs the bad."

"And do you want that?"

Harry tutted. "Where would I even get that?" At Tom's silence, Harry's eyes widened. His face said it all. The other man would never ask but Harry wasn't sure he had an answer either.

"Tom?"

With a frustrated growl, Tom pushed away from Harry and walked a few steps back. He couldn't find the words to voice what he wanted. There was so much history between them, too much baggage to start anew. Tom looked lost and frustrated and angry. But it was endearing to Harry. To see a man normally so composed, almost painfully so. It made him untouchable, unreachable. It made him human. But this uncertainty, it hinted that Tom was not in power. It gave Harry the confidence he needed to do this. What he and Tom had was unconventional. But it was the only thing he had. For the past days Tom had given him things he hadn't in the past. He listened to him and kept him abreast of the things going on. They were finally on the same page.

"Tom, I want to start over. Seeing how the children reacted, it put so many things into perspective. I want to give them the kind of parents I never had, I don't want them to hate you, or me. And to do that, I can't hate you. But you have to start trusting me and treating me like an autonomous person. Not someone you can spell into wanting you. You have to give me choices. And if I do something you don't like, you can get angry but don't force me to do things your way."

Tom frowned at him but said nothing. Harry walked to him as if he were a dangerous predator. He had to tread carefully, lest the animal get spooked and leap at him. With a soft smile, Harry held up his hand. Bemused, Tom went to grab it. Harry grinned and shook it.

"Hi, my name is Harry. I have nine kids and a psychotic killer for a lover. Nice to meet you-?"

"What are you doing?" His tone clearly said that he thought Harry had gone completely bonkers.

Harry sighed. Of course Tom couldn't play along to that. "I'm trying to be friends with you. I appreciate what you've done in the past days. You have kept me in the dark like you always do but you eventually told me about it. And you're also doing a lot of good things, and I can see that. So thank you."

"Friends, you want to be friends? Tom scoffed.

"I think friends is a good start." Harry countered. He wasn't ready for what Tom clearly wanted. He didn't know this man very well and yet he'd created this entire life around this man. Even after all these years, Tom was a mystery to him. He'd spent so many years hating Tom, and rightly so. But hating him consumed energy he didn't have to spare. It would be useless to waste away his days wanting something different from him. He'd rather expend his efforts to try and make what he wanted out of what he already had.

"I want get to know you, outside of you being a dark lord. Outside of you being my children's father. I want to know about Tom Riddle as a kid, as a teen. And I'll tell you about me. And you will continue to keep me informed about Umbridge and Rita and the W.A.N.D.S. Society and anything else that comes up. We're going to go slow. Okay?"

Harry gazed expectantly at Tom. He needed Tom to accept his proposal. He want things to change. They needed to talk and understated one another. For the past years, they'd only been putting a bandage over a festering wound hoping that hiding it didn't bother them. But it did. If there was a silver lining in Rita's book, it was this. It made Harry realize how stagnant things had been and how much he wanted, no needed a change. Not only for the kids, but for himself. Taking the bandage off, treating the wound no matter how painful, and letting it heal properly is what he and Tom needed. It wouldn't erase everything, the wound would leave a scar, but they wouldn't need a bandage anymore.

"Alright." Tom finally answered.

Harry beamed. This time around, he was the one to loop his arms through Tom's. The death eaters filed out of the store and held it open to them. It was warmly and cozy inside, with the sweet smells of chocolates and fruits permeating the air.

"I like this. We should do this more often. You know, go places and just do nothing or do everything. I always wanted to go the fair but the Durselys never took me, you know. I saw pictures of roller coasters and they looked so fun, but scary. I mean, if I fall, I could always apparated out of there, right?" Harry prattled on, and Tom just listened quietly. He was content to let Harry do all the talking and Harry found it very easy to talk to this Tom.

The store owner greeted them nervously but Tom waved him off. Harry took a bag and filled up one each for his children. Salazar liked dark and bitter chocolates with a fruity filling. Hadrian, Rom, and Reggie liked anything and everything sour. James liked gummy types of candies. Lily liked candied fruits. Alfred had a giant sweet tooth. Cerise liked spicy candy. He filled each bag to the brim and let Tom hold them.

"Do you think I should get some for Severus? And Rabastan and Rudolphus?" Harry got a grunt in reply, which he took for a yes. So he made up another bag of blood pops and other assorted candies he thought the dour Severus would like. Another bag for the Lestranges but that got him to thinking he should also make one for the Malfoys. That made him think about Theo and Blaise and of course Fenrir, which meant he also had to get candies for the entire pack.

But he time he was done, almost a quarter of the store was cleared out. The owner gaped at him when he brought his goodies to the check out. Harry smiled sheepishly and shrugged. He let Tom pay again. One of the death eaters came forward and shrunk the merchandise to mark it easier for transport. Thanking him, Harry turned to Tom, ready to leave.

"You didn't get a bag for yourself." Tom randomly reached for some sweets and held out a bag of of Berties Every Flavor Beans.

With a pleased smile, Harry took the bag and lead Tom outside. Hand in hand again, Harry instructed the death eater holding the candy packages to go home with it and hide it until Harry got back to distribute it himself. Tom raised a brow but said nothing. Leading Tom on an aimless walk, Harry opened the bag and offered Tom first pick. He sneered and shook his head.

"Oh, don't tell me candy is beneath you now. Go one, take it, it won't hurt you." Harry shook the contents under Tom's nose.

He was forced to take one to stop Harry's antics. But he was such a spoilsport; he just swallowed it whole. For his own bean, Harry made a show of chomping on it. It was peppermint candy.

"Yum, I got peppermint. Come on, try again, I'll bet you'll get a good one. And no swallowing this time, you have to chew."

With an aggrieved sigh, Tom took out another one and actually chewed it. "It tastes like sweat"

Harry laughed. "Okay, let me see what I get next."

One by one, they took turns tasting every single one of the beans. Harry enjoyed the faces Tom made immensely. He got flavors like slime, salt, even vomit. And Harry got mud, clay, and blood. It was nice. It was normal. But how long their tentative truce would last, only time could tell.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Riddle manor wasn't lacking for guards but with most of the Riddles off the grounds, they could be excused for not being as vigilant. No one noticed the shifty eyed intruder, blending into the household staff. When they broke away from their normal duties, no one paid mind. The intruder sneaked into the individual Riddle rooms with shaking and sweaty hands, but they had to carry out their demands. In each room, they placed a sheaf of papers, hidden but easily found in places only the inhabitants of the room would know. In Salazar's room, they placed it inside some ministry files he'd taken home. As the wizard rarely used his old room, it was the only place the intruder knew Salazar would look at in his infrequently used room. In Hadrian's room, they put it inside his boots. In James' room, they put it inside his quiditch equipment chest. In Lily's room, they put it inside a book the intruder knew she was reading. In Alfred's room, they put it in a locked chest of letters from his beloved Scorpius. And the last room, the intruder entered with apprehension. They didn't know what was in the papers, they were spelled to secrecy, but they knew it was something that would hurt Harry and the Riddles. And they liked the Riddles, especially Harry. But they none the less left the last couple of papers under Harry's pillow because their allegiance was to another.

With their mission complete, the intruders with heart pushing went back to their duties. A few death eaters looked at them with a frown but they brushed it off. They couldn't know, it would be impossible to know. Not even Lord Voldemort knew they had been the ones to tamper with the book, and he was the most powerful man they knew.


	16. Chapter 16

_Chapter 14_

 _Flashback_

 _"Sitting there for days will not heal him," Tom said in disgust. He stood in the doorways of Salazar's room, filling the entire frame._

 _Harry's hands twitched towards his wand in a knee jerk reaction, before he remembered it had been taken away as a condition to being allowed to stay with Salazar. It had hurt, terribly so, to have Tom suspect him of hurting Salazar, when Tom was the one who's killed numerous wizards. But it was Harry's fault his son-God, his son! - was hurt. For years, he'd labored under the impression that Salazar was dead. He hadn't even known his sons name, and hadn't had the heart to give his dead son a name in his mind. He had already been fixating on his loss, and Hermione had told him it wasn't healthy to give a name to his dead son. But Salazar hadn't been dead, he'd been alive this entire time. And Harry, the more he fought, had put him in danger. How many times had he attacked death eater contingents and attacked places he'd thought Tom was staying at. Salazar could have been there and been caught in the crossfire._

 _Harry relaxed his hand and went back to smoothing his fingers over his son's green blanket. He couldn't bring himself to touch his son, not yet, not after what he'd done._

 _Unused to being ignored, Tom stepped into the room and loomed over Harry's shoulder. "You will eat Harry. You are no use to me dead."_

 _"I can't eat. Not until Salazar wakes up." Harry replied curtly._

 _It was odd talking to Tom. It was as if the handsome man in front of him was a completely different wizard from the pale, nose less monster Harry was familiar with. This Tom looked more like the handsome teen Harry had seen a glimpse of in the Chamber of Secrets. The only thing that was the same about them was the dangerous aura of menace that seemed molded to him like a second skin. Though he was cruel and ruthless, it had a direction now unlike before. He was rational and calculated, and if anything that made him more dangerous than when he'd been unhinged. At least then Harry could predict a familiar chaos. Now, Harry didn't know this stranger. He couldn't predict what he would do._

 _"Now whose fault was that?" Tom snapped._

 _Harry's face crumbled. It was his, this entire debacle was his fault. He had attacked his son, his own flesh and blood. He was the golden boy, the boy who lived, he was expected to save everyone from Tom. But he ended up hurting the one person Harry should have protected from the beginning, and Tom had been the one to save Salazar._

 _When the boy first appeared before a wounded and severely weakened Tom, Harry had thought it an apparition, a trick of Tom's wand to distract him. It couldn't be real. What child would protect Tom, a man children spoke of in whispers with the same awe and fear given to the boogeyman. And when Tom had yelled at Harry to stop, telling him the child he was attacking so relentlessly was his son Salazar, Harry had ignored him._

 _He'd seen his son die, pulled from his cut open stomach. He'd spent six years grieving. The order had taken him out of there so fast, right after taking his dead baby out of him that he'd still had a bit of the placenta inside him. He'd even buried that. It had been the only thing left of his unnamed son. How many times had Harry stumbled to the little grave and cried himself tearless until he was left with painfully puffy eyes and a sore throat. How many dreams turned nightmares had he had where he got to hold his baby for a few seconds before faceless wizards took him away._

 _Then the visions had come. He'd discovered he had a connection to Tom. A mental connection. It allowed him to have visions of the wizard when he was particularly frustrated or angry…or as Harry had discover to his great surprise, happy. Who knew Tom could be happy. He'd seen the man crucio his followers when they failed against an order raid, when he murdered order members and rebels._

 _Then there had been other times when Harry had seen Tom with a baby. The baby had been crying and Tom had been frustrated at the wailing. Harry had wondered what that was about. They had progressed as the child grew older. Tom had been distant towards the child but Harry got snippets of visions showing Tom spending more and more time with the growing child. Once, when the child had done some magic, Harry had felt the incredible pride and happiness Tom felt. The child looked so much like Tom. And for one hopeful, terrible moment Harry had thought maybe his child wasn't dead, that Tom had been keeping his child away from him. Despite what he knew from Moody and Ginny, he believed they had been mistaken and thought his child was alive._

 _But he'd quickly discarded that idea when Tom had discovered their connections and used it to lure Harry for a surprise attack. Sirius had gone away for a while for undercover work and the order hadn't heard from him in a while. Harry had seen a vision of Sirius being tortured by Nagini at the ministry and the others older order members hadn't believed him and tried to stop him from going. So, he'd taken some of his friends and gone to rescue his godfather. Of course, it had been a set up to get Harry to come alone. Sirius died in that attack at the hands of Peter Pettigrew. One more life among the countless others that was Harry's fault._

 _So, he'd pushed away anymore visions of that little boy and chalked it up to Tom's cruelty. It had been a way to torture Harry from afar, he was sure of it._

 _So when he saw the boy appear during the battle, he'd thought it to be another one of Tom's tricks. But at Harry's last attack when the resilient boy hadn't gotten up, couldn't get up, Harry had hesitated. Apparitions didn't bleed. That had cost him the battle and before he knew it, Tom hit him with a vicious spell that pulled him to oblivion._

 _"Mine…it's my fault," Harry full out wailed, hiding his face in his hands. His shoulders shook and his wailing crying grew to a crescendo of sorrow. He was so lost to his grief that he didn't even flinch when Tom's robes ghosted over his side. He was only passing his wand over Salazar in a diagnosis spell but his body offered the only warmth Harry had felt in days. He didn't dare touch his son, not without Salazar's permission._

 _So, Harry, blinded by guilt and loss grabbed onto the only other breathing person in the room. He'd been alone in his grief for so long and the burden he'd been carrying was quickly burying him deep in the ground._

 _Tom went still when he felt Harry's hand clutch at his robes and wet, darkened emerald eyes blearily looked up at him._

 _"He's going to be okay, right? You're doing everything you can?" Harry hiccuped. There was no pride, no hatred, no fear left in Harry. Worry for Salazar consumed every inch of him._

 _Tom tipped his head in bemusement. Harry let go of his robes and placed his hands in his lap. He continued to cry softly as Tom stood vigil in the room. Two very different people, who'd been enemies for so long with so many different ideals were brought together by one boy. All those differences fell away and Harry finally found a common ground with Tom. They were both parents to Salazar._

 _It had been hard to see with prejudice clouding his eyes but Tom did care for Salazar. Harry hadn't thought it possible, that Tom could care for someone other than himself. When Tom had proposed conceiving a baby to transfer his horcruxes to, Harry had vehemently been against it. But he'd been forced when Tom had shown him his imprisoned friends…Luna, Padma, Parvati, Dean, Colin, Fred…and threatened to kill them. So of course, Harry had agreed. He'd been taken out of the dungeons and Tom ceased all visits to him, something that Harry had been eternally grateful for. But he'd also plotted his escape and with help from the unlikeliest of sources, he'd been able to reach the order._

 _He'd been saved that day but at the steep price of his son's life. The stress of the siege on Malfoy manor had sent him to an early labor and he couldn't be moved during the birth process. So short on time, Tonks had been sloppy and only later did Harry learn from Mad Eye Moody and Ginny Weasley they had deliberately tried to kill his baby to hurry along the birth process. They'd reasoned the sooner the baby was out, the sooner Harry could be taken out of the place. Ginny had justified it by saying the babe had been a product of rape and Harry life was much more valuable than Salazar's. Remus had tried to apologize but his supplications fell on deaf ears. Harry hadn't talked to the Weasleys for weeks after that revelation._

 _He hadn't been able to reconcile the loving family he knew to the murders he knew them to be. Only then did he truly open his eyes. He'd finally realized what the order had been doing. The men and women they killed in the name of the greater good were still people at the end of the day when they took off their death eater robes. They were wizards who had families of their own. And their fights left a trail of innocent bodies in their wake. Battles were fought in public places where running civilians got caught up in spells thrown out by both sides. Buildings were destroyed along with many of the wizard's livelihoods. At the end of the day the wounded went home to the rubbles left by battle._

 _Harry had read from the daily prophet how Tom had commissioned for the destroyed buildings to be rebuilt. Molly Weasley had scoffed, saying it was merely good business. Tom wasn't doing that out of the goodness of his heart. If businesses were destroyed and people had no way to revive it, then Tom would have no empire to rule. And while that might true, Harry hadn't been able to help himself from thinking that at least Tom was helping, no matter his motives. And what had the order been doing? What progress had they made? Day by day, the media and the public had turned from the order._

 _Out of the corner of his eye, Harry surreptitiously looked at Tom. Through he showed no signs of his feelings, the very action of being in the room when Harry knew the world outside was burning was showing Tom's affections for their sons._

 _"He will be okay. I will not accept anything else." Tom assured once more. He had noticed Harry's not so subtle scrutiny._

 _Harry tried to see a murderer, a rapist, a tyrant but in those hooded eyes he only saw a reflection of himself. He saw a grieving father. So, Harry relaxed and finally closed his eyes in sleep for the first time in three days. He vaguely felt the chair beneath him being transfigured into a bed._

 _"Thank you…" Harry murmured, unbelievably grateful that Tom wasn't taking him away from his son._

 _Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

 **Excerpt from The Making of a Tragedy**

 _ **Dear readers, this chapter might be the most important, most darkest chapter yet. It has the secret Harry Potter wants no one to know. And it all began when Harry Potter became pregnant with Salazar Marvolo Riddle.**_

 _ **From a very reliable source from within Lord Voldemort rank, I have eyewitness account of the secret affair conducted right under the dark lord's nose. As soon as Harry fell pregnant, he was moved out of the dungeons and into a private room near the guest wing of the Malfoy manor. Draco Malfoy, a new recruit into the dark lord's ranks was given the job of guarding Harry. They were antagonistic towards each other at first but the pregnancy slowly brought the two closer. Draco catered to Harry's pregnancy cravings, he was even seen once massaging Harry's feet. It was all very cozy and highly suspicious.**_

 _ **It is this authors theory that Draco fell in love with Harry Potter. Draco had unfettered access to Harry and he was the only familiar face Harry had among a den of snakes. The boys shared a strong animosity for each other during their Hogwarts years I am told but is it not true that there is a strong line between love and hate? It seems Draco was obsessed with Harry during his years and though he may have been at odds with Harry, the romantic in me likes to think perhaps that was his way of getting Harry's attention. He was in Slytherin, a house Harry was taught to hate as a Gryffindor and thus Draco was already at a disadvantage. Perhaps he loved Harry all along. And he knew guard duties gave him the perfect opportunity to have that love returned.**_

 _ **It is during this time Harry was also scheming to escape Lord Voldemort with their baby. It is unknown to this author how he managed contact with the order but from the order member Ginny Weasley, I was told that they got missives on the layout of the manor and the schedules of the death eaters and the dark lord. The order planned a raid based on that information. They found the perfect opportunity to carry out those plans when Lord Voldemort planned a trip to Germany for a week during the seventh month of Harry pregnancy.**_

 _ **From Ms. Weasley who was present during the raid, I have the reports of Harry's greatest betrayal. As quoted from Ms. Weasley herself** -_

 _ **"A few of us oversaw scouting the manor. My brothers George, Charlie, Ron, Tonks, Moody, and I scouted out the manor and made plans for the raid. From the blueprints given to us by Harry, we practiced trail runs and the like. He'd also told us about the wards and Bill practiced day and night to be able to dismantle them the moment he got into the manor.. We hadn't told Harry when the rescue mission was going to happen because Voldemort might find out but perhaps we should have found a way to make that happen.**_

 _ **Originally it was just supposed to be to get Harry out but Moody thought the opportunity to get into Voldemort's stronghold was too good to pass up. We could scope it out and once we'd taken the manor, the wards would call Voldemort to the manor and we could kill him. My brothers and I were supposed to free the Order prisoners they already had and bring in more able bodied ones to fight off the death eaters that were still guarding Malfoy Manor. Harry told me that he had a cabinet in his rooms that connected to a cabinet in the Room of Requirements at Hogwarts. I don't know how he knew they were connected but they were broken anyway when he told us in letters. So Bill and Professor Lupin worked really hard to fix the one at Hogwarts so we could get past the wards without altering Voldemort. That was the plan anyway. But it all went down the crapper once we got there.**_

 _ **Harry wasn't in the room where the cabinet lead too but that was fine. My brothers went off to find the other prisoners while I helped Hermione to bring in more order members once we'd secured the room. The order had the manor surrounded. But what we didn't expect were for the bloody house elves to riot. One of them went and apparated out of the wards to warn that bloody prat Malfoy and Voldemort came to the manor. They mounted an attack and we still hadn't found Harry. I was running through the halls at this point yelling his name and hexing any death eaters that came my way. I was supposed to be filming my brother Fred but instead I went looking for Harry. That's one of my biggest regrets but how was I to know he would go and side with Voldemort?**_

 _ **Anyway…**_

 _ **It was by luck I came to a closed doorway and without thinking I unlocked it to see who was inside. I heard muttered voices, one was Harry's and another one I didn't recognize. I don't know why I didn't tell Harry I was there. It must have been instinct. I entered the suite and crept to the bedroom doorway. It wasn't locked so I peered in. I saw Harry and that ferret Draco talking. I didn't hear them at first because I was too shocked to see the huge belly on Harry. Sure, he had told us he was pregnant but to see it written on paper and seeing it in real life were two different things. At first I thought they were fighting but the only one angry was Harry and the ferret was just taking his abuse. I stayed quiet wondering why Harry was yelling at Draco.**_

 _ **I used an invention by Fred and George that allowed a person to listen into a conversation without alerting them and it even works despite silencing spells. To my surprise, Harry was yelling at Draco to come with him. He was telling Draco that he didn't want him to become a death eater. He wanted to save Draco. I didn't think that was possibly but Harry always liked to see the best in people.**_

 _ **Draco just shook his head and told Harry he needed to leave. Draco told him he would cover for him and give him time to escape. I was about to barge in and pull Harry away myself when Harry pulled Draco down to him and kissed him. I was stupefied. How could Harry kiss the ferret? Was it Stockholm's syndrome? I don't know, but it couldn't have been because Harry cared for him, surely not. Harry wasn't a bugger, he had a lot of girls going after him in Hogwarts. He even took a girl as a date to the Yule ball so he couldn't be bent. Well, at least that's what I thought at the time but now we all now how much he loves taking Voldemorts cock up his arse.**_

 _ **Anyway, Draco looked just as surprised as I felt. Harry pulled away from the kiss and beseeched Draco to come with him again but Draco kissed Harry and shook his head. Draco said he had no place with Harry where he was going. That he needed to stay here and that he would always love Harry, no matter whose mark was on his skin. With that he exited the room and I barely had a second to hide myself. I was equal parts disgusted and appalled but I had to consider how much Harry had been through so I decided to not mention it at all.**_

 _ **I** **waited a few minutes then called out to Harry. Harry called back and was relieved to see me, we hugged but just then he felt a painful kick in his belly and fell. I had this galleon thing that Hermione spelled to allow the order members to contact each other always and using it I called Tonks and Moody. They, along with Remus came and we realized Harry was in labor. We couldn't apparate him out in such a condition. He was two months early.**_

 _ **Remus told us that the order was losing and Voldemort was breaking through the wards the order had erected around the manor. We had to hurry. As aurors, Moody and Tonks had some medical training so they got ready to deliver the baby. Harry was in so much pain. I held his hand throughout the entire thing.**_

 _ **But it was taking too long. We'd warded the room and from the galleons, I knew most of the order had retreated. We had to hurry along the birth. Remus was against it because it might endanger the baby but Moody overrode his protests. Harry was our priority. And the disgusting spawn inside him was a thing of rape. I of course only cared for Harry and I knew he wouldn't want to have a reminder of his rape. So, Moody used the spell.**_

 _ **Remus had to be held back by Tonks because he tried to stop it. I was too busy holding Harry down, he was thrashing so much. I don't think he was aware of what was going on or what was being said, though. Anyway, the thing was finally born. It was small and looked like the devil. It was disgusting. But at least it came out dead. The spell damaged the thing and I for one could not have been happier. With how much of a monster Voldemort was, his spawn can only be like it's sire.**_

 _ **We left the bloody thing to rot and apparated out of the manor with Harry. We only told him later when he came to that the thing had died due to birth complications, not that it died because of Moody's spell.**_

 _ **He only found out later when Moody was teaching him legiliemency. He was getting visions from Voldemort and he wasn't sleeping. We thought it was because of the scar that connected them that he was seeing into Voldemort's mind. So, Moody thought teaching him how to shield his mind would help. Harry wasn't very good. I mean he was supposed to defeat the dark lord and here he was having trouble with simple mind defenses. I was worried. We all were. We were counting on him to kill the vile snake.**_

 _ **During one of the sessions though, Harry managed to look into Moody's mind and accidentally found the memory of Moody casting the spell on Harry that caused him to lose Voldemort's spawn. Harry became mad. I don't understand why, though. We did him a favor, honestly. He started to pull away from us more, he didn't talk to run or Hermione anymore. I tried to get him to talk to me, I tried to be his friend abut he was ungrateful and pushed me away.**_

 _ **He didn't realize all that we'd sacrificed to him. We let him stay with us, we fought for him, we put our lives in danger for him. And what did we get? Nothing but sullen silence."**_

 _ **So, dear readers, that began the downfall of the order. Harry continued to fight for the order diligently, as I am told. But where before Harry used to use mostly defensive spells, he began to use offensive spells. Dark offensive spells to be exact. Ms. Weasley confided to me she and a few others in her family grew to fear their friend. What if Harry was the next dark lord?**_

 _ **And that kiss? With Draco Malfoy, one of Lord Voldemorts most trusted death eaters. I have seen both Harry and Draco at numerous public events and balls and they always seem cozy. Perhaps too cozy. One cannot help but speculate whether the two continued their sordid affair. And forbidden apples are ever so irresistible. Even Harry's latest son Orion might be a Malfoy! The child was born in Malfoy Manor, what was Harry doing there so close to his birthing time, I wonder. I've even heard that Draco picked out Orion's name. If that is not what a father does, then I shall eat my quill, dear readers. It is very easy to glamour blond hair on a babe.**_

 _ **To think, the Dark Lord, a cuckold...**_

 **TBR**

 _Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

 _Salazar was confused._

 _His father expected him to make nice with a man who'd almost killed him. His father explained that Harry Potter hadn't meant to hurt him but Salazar was skeptical. He'd only had his sire, Tom, present in his life. When he'd asked where his other parent was, Tom had merely said he'd been taken away by terrorists. He'd grown up to hate the Order. Then he'd heard stories of Harry Potter, the wizard prophesied to kill his father and so Salazar had learned to hate this Potter man too. But his father explained Harry Potter was his other parent, that he was confused and had been hypnotized by the false ideals of the Order._

 _But still, Salazar was wary. Why would Harry believe the order over his own father? It didn't make sense to him._

 _After he came out of his coma, Harry had tried to talk to him. Tom, with one look, had commanded that Salazar listen. So, he did. He listened to Harry try to explain his absence, that he was sorry for what he had done but Salazar, a natural skeptic and slow to forgive, had merely nodded and asked his father if he could be excused. He'd grown up in war, all he'd known was war. He'd learned as a babe to play the games of intrigue. People would try to trick him into thinking they were his friends just to gain a better station._

 _He'd be a fool to believe Harry's words. Once an Order member, always an Order member. The wizard was only trying to trick his father into complacency and once he did, Harry would attack and kill his father and him. No matter if Harry had given birth to him, he had none the less killed countless death eaters. Wizards who had raised him from infancy and had been more of a family to him that his bearer. Harry Potter was no family of his._

 _So, he watched and waited for Harry Potter to make his move. He tolerated the man's attempts to spend time with him. They would sit in complete silence, Salazar refusing to talk and Harry at a loss as to what to say. He tried to engage him in quidditch but Salazar had no interest in the silly sport. Harry liked defense against the dark arts, Salazar liked transfiguration. He did not like playing games. He'd rather be off to his studies. He needed to be prepared and ready for another order attack and when they died, there would be others that would try to attack his father's great empire. An empire he would one day inherit. So no, he would not like to pop off to play a silly game with silly balls that hurt and a broom that would not listen to any of his commands._

 _He refused to call Harry his father or papa. He saw the hurt in the man's eyes whenever he called the wizard by his given name but it was not his fault he could not care for him. Salazar had lived perfectly fine without him for six year and he didn't need him for the rest of his life. His real father had been there, though distant, he'd still been there to teach him all he knew._

 _It seemed he was the only one to remain unaffected of the green-eyed man's charm. His own father, the great dark lord who inspired fear in everyone was softening towards the younger wizard. The other didn't see it but Salazar did. His father's eyes lingered on the wizard and his jaw hardened whenever the wizard was saddened. At first the relationship between his father and Harry had been stiff and awkward. Of course, it would be, Harry had tried to kill his father before Salazar intervened and then the wizard had tried to kill him too._

 _In all honesty, Salazar had expected his father to kill the treasonous man but he hadn't. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he was a bit miffed that a man who had tried to kill him, Toms own son, had been let off scotch free. Salazar had been attacked before by radicals that knew of his existence and they'd been dealt with the most harshest of punishments. So what made this Harry person so special?_

 _Salazar tried to be standoffish, hoping it would make Harry decease his efforts. Maybe then he would leave all on his own because his father certainly wasn't going to force the wizard away. But Harry was persistent. No matter how many rejections he was faced with, he would always try again the next day. And the expected betrayal never came. A year passed and nothing happened. It was tiring keeping up his cold façade._

 _He noticed his father also stayed closer to the manor. He didn't travel as much, but instead of spending time with him as he usually did on his off time, Tom would spend that time with Harry. It annoyed his greatly that his father's enemy could garner more interest than his own son. But whatever. The joke was on his father. Because Harry tried to spend all his time with him so meant Tom was forced to watch from the sidelines while Harry tried his hardest with Salazar._

 _And he knew Harry didn't know that he knew Harry liked to take those potions that put him to sleep. More than once during the first few months he'd woken up to Harry's scream. Severus would come to treat him with the potions to put him back to sleep. Salazar saw him steal ingredients from Severus lab and make the potion himself then take it every night. He didn't know much about it but after some research he knew it was dangerous. So, he'd gone to his father and told him about it. He'd hoped evidence of the wizards thievery at least would garner the green eyed wizard at least some punishment. And then he wouldn't have to spend as much time with the man. But his father had only sworn him to secrecy and spoken no more on the matter. After that was when Tom started spending more time at home._

 _But just because his father had told him not to mention ti again didn't mean Salazar didn't keep his eyes open for further misuse of the potion. Tom took away Harry's remaining stash and locked the potions lab, allowing only Severus entry into it. The nightmares started up again. One night Salazar got out of bed and saw his father sneak into Harry's room during one of those episodes and the nightmares stopped. Tom didn't come out until the morning._

 _But during the day, they acted like nothing had happened. So, Salazar did too. Harry wanted to have family dinners with him and though he hadn't wanted to, Tom forced him. What influence did Harry have to make Tom do these things? Before, Salazar only rarely had dinner with his father. He usually took his meals alone or with death eaters. Now every breakfast, lunch, and dinner he, Harry, and his father had together. Conversation was stilted, with Harry trying to converse with him and Tom trying to engage with Harry and Salazar ignoring them both._

 _But day by day, the relationship between them began to thaw and flow easier, like the first flow of river water after a long, merciless winter. Salazar, who did not like spending time with Harry could no longer find an ally with Tom. His father refused to hear Salazar's pleas and forced him to spend time with Harry. The wizard was changing his father and taking him away. But Salazar said nothing to his father, knowing that without proof, Tom would never believe it._

 _So, Salazar slowly let him in. Harry hadn't once tried to escape or take him away. And Salazar had to admit Harry was a good teacher. Since he was being homeschooled, Severus Snape had taken over his education. But Harry had volunteered to teach him the defensive spells, transfiguration, and charms himself._

 _Spell by spell, Salazar grew closer to Harry. He even smiled at him and he was no longer on edge with him. Perhaps Harry was truly sincere in his affections. He could almost feel the palpable need to touch him coming from Harry. So, one day, Without thinking, Salazar grabbed Harry's hand when he wanted to show the wizard a new spell he'd mastered. The wizard broke down crying and it was the first-time Salazar reached out and patted the man uncomfortably on the back. Harry had hugged him and Salazar let him. He couldn't be all bad, plus Harry let him practice spells Severus wouldn't._

 _His father hired tutors for Harry when Salazar became advanced. In his opinion it was redundant. Why not just have the tutors teach him and cut out the middle man. But again, he kept quiet. A small part of him liked that Harry taught him. He wasn't stiff like his other tutors and Harry made it fun for him, even the boring subjects like history and muggle studies. He'd see Harry stay up burning the midnight oil for many nights but when it came time to teach him, the wizard was a ball of energy. His exuberance carried into his teaching and Salazar's studies didn't suffer once from Harry's sleepless nights._

 _But he still refused to call Harry father. He may no longer be his enemy but he was just a teacher to Salazar, nothing more._

 _xxxxxxxx_

Hehehe, anyone catch that nod to Drapple?


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 15

flashback

"Okay, I think that's enough for today. You did great, Salazar!" Harry beamed at his son but the child looked unimpressed.

"It was mediocre efforts at best. But I thank you for the exaggerations all the same. Good day." Salazar nodded, already gathering up his books. He missed the crestfallen look over Harry's face. But Harry quickly forced a smile when Salazar looked up again.

"You know, it's only two in the afternoon, I was thinking we could-"

"I have fencing lessons so I will have to decline."

Harry watched after his son's back as he left the room. He was so wonderful, so smart (what six year old spoke like him?) and polite. Almost too polite most of the time. Harry suspected Salazar used it as a shield against him. But this was progress. A month ago, Salazar had only responded with single words.

"How are the lessons coming along?" Tom appeared in the doorway of the makeshift classroom. Harry no longer flinched when Tom came into the room, so that was another progress he'd made.

It had been strange. Initially, Harry hadn't known his place here. He didn't want to fight anymore, and hadn't wanted to for a long time before their duel. But he just hadn't found a good reason to stop. Not until Salazar. He would have done anything-anything-to have been able to stay with Salazar. But so far, Tom had requested nothing from him. He was just waiting for the day Tom would ask. And no matter what he asked for, Harry's answer would be a resounding yes.

"I've made progress. I'm getting more than one word answers so…" Harry shrugged. Who would have thought he would be the bad parent and Tom the good one.

"I saw Salazar heading to his fencing lesson. So that frees up your afternoon." It wasn't a question but Harry nodded nonetheless. "Then come, walk with me," Tom gallantly held the door open. Harry made sure he had his wand secured in his wrist holster. Just because he didn't flinch anymore didn't mean he would ever be without his wand when with Tom.

They exited the manor and Tom lead him out towards the immaculate gardens. Neat hedges of thorny rose bushes and curved overhangs with curling vines created a beautiful haven. In the middle of the large garden, there was a life size maze. Bright yellow flowers decorated the hedge that made up the maze. Harry tended to avoid the maze since it reminded him so Mach of the last triwizard task.

Tom broke the silence first. "I would like to speak to you about your place here."

This was it. Tom would ask him for his submission and Harry would say yes. What other option did he have? He could never leave his son. Again. "Yes?"

"The war is over. There are only a few more order members left and my death eaters are already hunting them down. Those who live will face a trial. This is a new world Harry. The only question is where would you like your place to be?"

Harry was mildly surprised. "You would let me choose?"

Tom smiled down at him. Harry was reminded of the boy he'd seen in the diary-so full of dangerous and calculated charm. Even as a boy he was scheming for power.

"Of course. As my horcrux, you have limited choices but choices none the less. You can continue to fight you and you will loose the little regard Salazar holds for all on your own. I will not have to do anything. Or join my side and work for my cause. You will not have to do anything beyond showing up for the occasional public gatherings. Your presence alone will lend my cause support. It will be no different than how the order used you."

Harry couldn't resist asking him "How could you be any different from the order? You're the man who kept me captive."

"Did they not also keep you captive? They took away your childhood, forced you to believe you were the only one who could fight me. And I am different from the man you knew." Tom picked up Harry's slack hand and bowed over their entwined hands like a gentleman. He brushed his lips over the lax fingers. Tom's stubble scraped over the thin skin stretched over Harry's knuckles. "Having my soul spread over seven horcruxes changed me, for the worse. I was only aware of half of what I did. But now that I have brought my horcruxes closer I am much more sane. I was consumed by a rage that I-unfortunately took out on you. I played recklessly with you. But I see your value now. I wouldn't cage you in with threats and keep you locked away in a room to wither away. I'd give you free reign over your life."

How easily he spoke away the terrible years in his hands. But Harry was so tempted to believe that it had only been the horcruxes and their dark magic that made Tom that way. But it was magic that was still affecting him, as he hadn't reunited the horcruxes, just put them in closer proximity to him.

"You'd let me go free?" It was a rhetorical question. Tom would never let him be free, and on the off chance he did the order would want him back. If not the order, then some other society or state interested in his power. He would always be captive to the title of the boy who lived, never free of the shackles of his own name.

Tom released Harry's hand and looked up, eyes full of an enticing menace. He maneuvered that hand to rest upon his forearm. Underneath his palm and the layers of clothes, Harry felt the ripple of muscles. It was the feeling one got when petting a dangerous tiger, feeling all that feral power under one's fingertips and seeing how far you could touch it until it snapped and leaped on you.

Tom's low chuckling sounded in his ear. "I'd never be as foolish as to do that. I'd keep you locked up in a gilded cage, displayed for my pleasure. You can be with Salazar forever, making up for all those lost years. But don't worry, I'll let you out to play, of course. I want to see how sweet you can taste, how intoxicating your surrender will be. I'll brand you with my scent, my touch until you know you're mine without needing any kind of cage. You won't be my captive, you'll be my obsession."

His words were threat, clear and simple. Fear had his heart pounding, and he shook his head in distress. He couldn't go through with that again, not ever. Intimacy, sex, it was forever ruined for him. He'd survived war, but he couldn't survive that again.

"No…" Harry put his hands out to Tom's shoulder, exerting little pressure. His nails dug into the tense muscles there.

"Yesss," he hissed forcefully, his lips at the corner of his mouth. "I showed you my anger last time, let me show you my lust."

"No, Tom, I said no!" With a burst of magical energy, Harry pushed Tom away. Hyperventilating on his sobs, Harry backed away until his back met cool stone and he could breath free again. "I won't let you this time, Tom. Remember I am as much the wands master as you are."

Dropping all façade of the charming man he was before, Tom growled. "How could I forget when you constantly bring it up?"

Harry glared right back at him. "I won't let you do that to me anymore! You won't force me."

Tom smiled manically, giving Harry whiplash from the quick turn of his emotions. "It will not be force if you ask for it."

Grinding his teeth, Harry fisted his hands. "Then let me amend that. I will never ask for it!" Harry turned from him and walked back to the manor. He couldn't have one meaningful conversation with the man. In his anger he missed the calculating gleam in the the older wizards red eyes.

He was livid…fuming! What a fool he'd been. Of all the things he'd taught Tom might ask of him, he foolishly hadn't considered the wizard would want his body. Yes, Tom had raped him but it had never been about sex or lust or want. All Harry had felt had been pain and anger and humiliation. What he'd suffered through could never be called sex. He couldn't even fathom being so vulnerable with a person again, let alone with Tom of all people.

He'd tried, Merlin had had he tried. Colin Creevy, the kid that used to follow and idolize him at Hogwarts had practically swooned at his feet but one look at those innocent, hopeful eyes and Harry knew he couldn't use the boy to heal himself. Ginny had continued her pursuit but he hadn't been able to bear her touch. So he'd turned to strangers but as soon as their fumbling fingers went to his pants, Harry had panicked and left immediately. He'd decided he was too damaged for such things so he'd concentrated his all to the war efforts.

The green eyed boy moved rapidly through the empty hallways. The few death eaters he met on his way gave him a wide berth. Only one though braved the young man's considerable wrath.

Pale hands curled over Harry's wrist and brought him to a stumbling stop. Harry whipped out his wand and held it to his attackers jugular, panting from surprise.

Severus Snape practically threw Harry's arm back at him as if the limb personally offended him. He sneered down his long nose at his former student, despite the weapon at his vulnerable throat.

"Put away that wand unless you intend to use it, Potter." Harry glared but nonetheless lowered his trembling hand and shoved it back into his holster. "Follow me." He turned with a dramatic swirl of his flowing robes. Harry opened his mouth to yell he was no longer a student under the man's tyranny but the man had already turned a corner. Harry stomped after him to see the man disappear into a small chamber. When he pushed open the door he saw Severus sitting in an armchair with an entire afternoon tea set in front of him.

"Sit."

Harry sat opposite him in a comfortable leather couch. He opened his mouth but the professor held up a hand. He set about preparing three cups of tea. He prepared one completely black with a dash of cinnamon powder and slices of fire-ginger. He made another with honey and jasmine extract and the last with sugar and milk. To all of them he added a light purple potion. He slid the sugar and milk in front of Harry before taking a sip of the cinnamon and fire-ginger.

"Drink."

"I am not a dog." Hart never the less lifted the cup and took a halting sip. Severus noticed.

"Poison is a cowards way. If I were to kill you, I would use the killing curse Potter."

Harry slammed the cup down. "As if you could. Your precious dark lord couldn't manage to kill me so what chance do you have?"

Severus narrowed his dark eyes at the mess he'd made on the table. He took out his want to clean up the spilled liquid. "Insolent boy. When you are in a den of snakes, you should make sure you do everything to not get bitten."

"What do you want from me?"

"You have nothing I want. I am here to actually help you, if you bother to listen to me."

Harry snorted. "Right, like I'd want help from the man who hates me and left me to Tom's devices. Have you had a change of heart perhaps? Being a death eater not lucrative anymore? Tom isn't offering health care efforts anymore so you thought you'd curry favor with me?

"Just like your father. Selfish and flippant. Do you really think the entire world revolves around you Potter? That only you have faced loss?"

Never one to reign in his temper, Harry jumped up and yelled. "I've lost everything. Everyone. My mother, my father. My friends. My childhood. I've even lost my son even before I'd had the chance to hold him. What have you lost you greasy git? A bottle of shampoo perhaps?"

Severus didn't react to the outburst. Instead his eyes flicked to the open doorway. Harry followed his gaze and saw Salazar at the door, a look of surprise on his young face.

"Salazar…I…" Harry floundered, not knowing how to excuse his childish outburst.

Severus came to the rescue. "You always knock Salazar, no matter if the door is open or closed."

The boy inclined his head, a smirk lurking over his thin lips. "Of course Severus." As he walked further into a room and headed to the armchair next to Severus, he shared a fleeting smirk with Harry before schooling his face back to a familiar blank mask and sat in his chair.

Severus snapped his wand over the young boy's knees. "Sit up straight." Salazar grit his teeth but did as told with a belligerent tilt of his chin. So Harry wasn't the only one the dungeon bat annoyed. Harry dropped back to his seat.

The three sat in awkward silence as they drank their tea. Harry was the one to break the silence. "So, um, afternoon tea, is that a thing you two do?" He was already scheming of ways to see how he could be a part of it.

Salazar put down his cup on his saucer with nary a rattle and looked to Severus for permission before explaining. "Yes, Severus thinks it is good to relax with a good cup of tea before I start my occulmency lessons."

"Already?"

Severus nodded. "It is important for the heir of Slytherin to protect himself to his best ability. He will not always have his father and death eaters to protect him."

"I'll be there to protect him," Harry snapped, annoyed at not being included in the list of people expected to protect his own son.

Severus inclined his head. "Of course. I thought I would kill two birds with one stone by teaching you as well. As part of the Riddle household, you too are a target and should be properly trained. Your show during the department of mysteries fiasco showed just how well the order fools taught you."

Harry wanted to argue but all the professor said was true. Moody had been a terrible teacher, unlike the man who'd taught him so much during his fourth year. Only later he'd learned it had been Barty Crouch Jr. who'd used the polyjuice potion to infiltrate the school.

"And Tom approved this?"

Severus evaded the question. "He approved you being present during the lessons, since he understands your desperation to spend time with your son." Harry nodded slowly. So Tom didn't know Severus's intentions. They both looked at Salazar, who was sipping his tea. For his benefit, Severus added, "and he was the one to suggest I train you as well, seeing as how weak your mental shields are, the order can easily use you to infiltrate the manor."

They were taking a risk, planning something Tom would clearly never approve in front of Salazar so they had to convince the boy it was Tom's idea all along, to lessen the risk of Salazar mentioning it to the dark wizard. Harry didn't know what Severus's intentions were to teach him occulmency but if it gave him another weapon against Tom, then he'd take it.

"So when do we start?"

"We've already started. In the time we've had tea, I've already probed your mind without you noticing a thing at all."

"What?" Harry screeched. Merlin knew what the man had already seen.

"Don't worry Potter, your thoughts aren't nearly as riveting as you seem to think. There was not much to see. The potion I mixed with your tea will help you to strengthen your mental shields but only with diligent practice will you be able to reach Salazar's level. Your son is quiet accomplished."

The young boy preened under the praise, though he seemed like he tried to hide it. Harry smiled. "He is, Salazar is absolutely wonderful." Salazar stilled and Harry wondered if he'd said too much.

Severus stood up and gestured for them to do so as well. "Come, the practice room is ready and we have already wasted enough time." Salazar walked ahead of them into the adjoining room. Severus stopped Harry from following. His eyes were shadowed, despite the clear sunny day.

"Pay attention Potter. It will take time before you can protect yourself so all I can say is be wary. Be strong. Do not fall to temptation. You need to weather the pain and learn how to put your needs above others." He looked pointedly into the room where Salazar was waiting for them. "You cannot protect him if you yourself are infected by the venom of a snake."

Severus left him and walked into the other room. Harry mulled over the man's cryptic words but they lost all meaning when he heard Salazar asking Severus some questions. He could never put his needs above Salazar's.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 15 continued

Harry woke up in the middle of a scream. Their faces, so many faces. Old, young, female, male…endless and they all said the same thing. They all blamed him for their deaths. Some were people he knew, others were the ones he didn't. A few days ago Rita Skeeter had released a complete list of all of the lives lost in war. Tom was having a monument built for them with their names' etched into black marble. Lucius Malfoy had advised it, saying it would gain Tom public favor. Harry was expected to attend the unveiling with Tom.

Harry had had to excuse himself. He'd barely made it out of the room before he'd emptied his stomach's contents. How many of those lives was he to blame for? Over hundreds, perhaps nearing thousands?

Harry heaved again but here was nothing left in his stomach. His shirt was cling uncomfortably to his clammy skin. Casting a drying charm that only took care of the superficial problem, he reached into his night stand for his potions.

The sleeping potions were harmless when taken occasionally but prolonged use made the person dependent on them. And with each use, the dosage had to be increased for the same effect. He'd started taking the potions after being taken by the order from Tom. They were easy to get fro the various apothecaries but here in the manor where his every move was watched, it was not as easy. But he'd managed to store some of the ingredients away from Severus's potions lab and made a batch himself. There was nothing in the drawers, though.

"I took the liberty of having the house elves clean out your nightstand."

Harry wasn't even surprised by Tom's sudden appearance at his bedroom door. He was no longer his worst nightmare.

"I need them back," Harry gritted out through clenched teeth. He couldn't sleep without them. It had been three nights since he'd a good night sleep, the same amount of time since he'd last taken the highly addictive potion.

Tom walked further into the unlit room. Looming like a dark specter at his side, Tom reached over. His long fingers hovered around his temples.

"I can take the memories from you, make you forget," he offered.

Harry couldn't see his face, the shadows made it hard to gauge his intentions. He was sorely tempted. To forget all of his responsibilities, his duties, his crimes, his wounds….but there was danger in and of itself. Memories weren't separate things, they were one and fluid, overlapping memory after memory and influencing each other. Just because Tom could take away his wounds, he'd still be left with scars with no memory of how he got them. Bad memories fed into good ones and vice versa. Harry had so little happy memories, they were precious to him and he didn't dare do anything to lose them. So eventually, he shook his head.

Tom cocked his head. "Then let me take away your pain." Harry was confused. He flinched when cool finger touched his temples and he felt a cold slash of magic wash over his entire body. It soothed over his shaky nerves and stilled his erratic heartbeat. His body felt limp and Harry slumped forward. Tom caught him in his arms and laid him back down.

Leaning down until his smooth shaven cheek brushed against Harry's, Tom whispered in his ear. "Next time you have a nightmare, come to me. This was a one time favor."

Already cradled in the soothing confines of sleep, Harry nonetheless managed a feeble shake of his head. He wouldn't….

But after another seven days of no sleep after waking from the same nightmare, Harry found himself idling in front of Tom's room in the middle of the night. He was barred from Severus potions labs and all the other potions he'd managed to secret away had been confiscated by the house elves. Withdrawal symptoms were hitting him hard. Shivers, excessive sweating, dizziness, temporary blackouts when he expended too much energy or magic, and the worst-a numbness that encompassed his entire body. He couldn't feel the bite of the roaring fire or the jolt of freezing snow underneath his fingers. Once, after waking terrified from a nightmare he'd gone down the kitchen to make himself tea. He hadn't wanted to disturb the house elves, or have them report back to Tom that he was still having difficulties sleeping. Only when he'd smelt the putrid stench of burning flesh did he realize his hand had fallen too close to the stove fire. It was another scar left on his war weathered body.

It wasn't just affecting him, it was affecting his time with Salazar. The boy noticed his difficulty with magic and insisted on canceling their sessions. If not for that, Harry might have been able to power through.

He knocked on the door but with one press of his knuckles, the door slid open soundlessly. It was dimly lit inside, but Harry could hardly tell. Black edged his vision, and sometimes the images would swim in and out. He stumbled inside, bypassing the sitting room. With such impaired faculties, he let his feet lead him. He collided heavily with the old, wooden door of Tom's bedroom but he welcomed the jarring impact to his body. He hadn't felt anything in such a long time.

It fell open under his weight. He would have fallen on his face if not for an invisible force that softly cushioned his body and floated him to the gargantuan four poster bed, complete with a canopy. His clenching fists found purchase into the black and gold comforter on the bed.

Tom was sitting up in bed, a book in hand. He didn't even look up from his reading as he flipped back a corner of the covering in an invitation. Harry flopped onto the cool sheets, the effort needed to pull himself up too great. He felt weighed down but at the same time felt he was soaring too far in high altitudes. Something was compressing his lungs even as he gasped for sweet air. Harry reach blindly for Tom's hand, anything, a touch just to feel his anguish dissipate.

Tom casually brushed his hand away. He put down his book and vanished the few lights in the room. Shrouded in darkness, with only a sliver of the moon illuminated a corner of the cavernous room, Harry closed his eyes and felt Tom gather his abused body closer to his. Tom's solid one pressed down on his and arms wrapped loosely around him. But it was enough.

Harry opened his mouth and breathed in the man's musk. Burning cedar wood, leather…and black licorice. His erratic pulse calmed and Harry slowly relaxed. Finally.

He didn't let himself think of how tragic it was he was seeking comfort from the man that caused so many of his wounds. How alone he was.

He later woke up with his head cushioned on Tom's chest, the larger man sleeping on his back. Harry blinked away his sleep and took inventory of his body. It was wrapped like a limpet around Tom's. He stiffened, only to hear Tom's low chuckling.

"Next time, I expect something in return."

Hands he'd thought previously lax in sleep moved over his body. Harry made to pull away but Tom would not be deterred; he rolled over until he had Harry underneath him. He shoved his face into the juncture of his neck, inhaling deep. Humming deep in throat, Tom slithered his hands underneath Harry's sleep clothes to his bare flesh.

"Unng-" Harry protested. Tom hushed him with a bit to his ear lobe. Sharp canine teeth pressed harder until Harry quietened. Only then did Tom let go and moved his lips across Harry's face. Tom rested his lips over the burning crest of the younger wizards cheek.

Harry turned his head away as much as his current position would allow. "Tom, stop."

The dark wizard smirked against his downy skin. "Next time then." Tom lifted himself up and left Harry on the bed. The younger wizard let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding when Tom pulled back. He'd half expect Tom to overlook his protests and take him anyway.

Things continued in the same vein for months. Harry would resist as long as he could until the symptoms persisted and over came him. He'd go stumbling into Tom's room, let the man take the pain away, never asking how he did it. And he'd wake with his body pressed close to Tom's. The older wizard took greater liberties with each visit. Sometimes he'd sneak his hands under Harry's clothes, caressing the skin there or fondling the dips and curves he found. But it was only his hands that wandered to Harry stomach to his back to his buttocks. But never did the man kiss him. He tried, oh did he try but Harry always said no and pushed the man away. Tom didn't pressed after the first no and always got up from the bed with a dark chuckle.

Every morning Harry said no, he noticed the time between when he'd waken up and notice all the inappropriate places Tom snuck his hands to to when Harry finally whispered a no grew longer. It became harder to remember to resist. And Harry hated himself for it. How desperate he'd become to loose all his self respect to grow to crave Tom's touch. Was it a Pavlovian effect, associating the cessation of pain to Tom's touch? How else was he to explain the craving he had for his rapists attentions, amorous as they maybe. Sure he stopped taking the potions but at what cost? Common sensibility said Tom even more dangerous than a sleeping potion.

So one vice was substituted for another.

He started drinking to be able to look himself in the mirror in the mornings. It lowered his inhibitions and he no longer asked himself why he was letting Tom touch him. And whenever that little niggling voice of his pride was particularly persistent, he'd knock back another glass and another until he was floating on a haze of drunkenness. .

The only downsides to it was that he was forgetting to say no anymore. And sometimes, he'd even push back into Tom's wandering fingers. He forgot about the man touching him and only felt the sensations he could inspire.

Tonight was a particularly bad night. The withdrawal symptoms of the potions were hitting him particularly hard. They seemed to grow in intensity the more nights he spent with Tom. An empty bottle rolled from his lax fingers as he wobbled his way down the hall. Miraculously he made it to Tom's room without further incident.

This time, though, Tom stood by his window with a drink in hand. He usually stayed up in bed for Harry. Pouting, Harry made the extra effort to make his way to Tom and tugged at him with insistent hands to the bed. But his drunken effort were no match for Tom's sober determination.

"I'm not in the mood to entertain a drunk," Tom drawled sardonically.

Harry whimpered at the rejection. His legs felt like jelly so he wrapped both arms around Tom. "Tom, no please, I need…"

Tom slapped away his hand and shoved him back in the bed. Harry fell with a small shriek. Tom climbed up over him and framed his head with his hands as he loomed over Harry's prone body.

"You have never asked how I take away your symptoms. I would have thought that you of all wizards would be curious about it,"

Harry shook his head and closed his eyes. The firewhiskey he'd had was making everything move too much and at the same time everything was uncomfortably still. He tried to get up but that proved too much for him.

"I take what you feel into my body. That is why you are feeling them harder, faster, more often. I admit it was a good way to make you dependent on me, but now you have started up another vice. How plebeian of you, running from all your problems to the bottle of a bottle. Are you not the golden Gryffindor savior? The boy who lived?"

Feebly shaking his head, Harry opened his eyes to see glittering ruby eyes boring holes into him. "Survived," he croaked. "Not lived….survived…."

Tom snorted. "Survived. Yes, that is more accurate. What do you have to live for?"

Harry frowned, not understanding what Tom was asking of him. "I don…I don't…wha…?"

"What do you have to live for now that you do not have the purpose of killing me?" Tom reiterated, his voice dropping to a rough growl.

"I….Salazar…and…" it was such an effect to speak, let alone think. "Wha…makes you…think…not…kill you?"

Tom chuckled. "You would kill the only wizard Salazar considers as his father?"

Harry burst out crying in ugly, loud wails. Taken by surprise, Tom reared up and inspected him like an insect he'd particularly like to smash underneath the heel of his shoe. Harry reached up and grasped both sides of Tom's shirt collar and muffled his sobs into his chest. There was an excess of snot and tears and other questionable fluid that he stained onto Tom's shirt and smeared along his collar bone. With a grunt of annoyance, Tom tried to detach the leech that was a drunken Harry but failed. He was forced to wait the emotional wizard out. With a disgruntled sigh, he fell back on his side of the bed, hoping Harry would let go and cry himself to sleep but the green eyed wizard merely followed him. He almost crawled on top of his body and continued his wailing. Tom lifted a hand and hesitantly (and awkwardly) patted his heaving back. It wasn't particularly gentle nor soothing but Harry took it. Eventually his cries drifted to the occasional sniffle. Harry rubbed his wet and clogged nose repeatedly over Tom's shirt before blinking owlishly up at the annoyed man.

"I've never cried as much as I have since I came here. You're bad for me." Harry muttered. Despite his tear stained face and puffy eyes and reddened nose, he was nonetheless beautiful. High, sharp cheeks gaunt from a lack of proper food and dark circles underneath his bloodshot eyes only enhanced his fragility. He was lovely in his pain. Tom thumbed away a straggling teardrop.

"Yes, I'm very, very bad for you. I'd corrupt you, ruin you," he promised wickedly.

"Ruin me…" Harry didn't mean for the words to sound like an invitation, but Tom took them as such.

"My pleasure." Tom suddenly pushed him on his back and straddled his hips. He blanketed the green eyed wizard with his lean body. It was done so fast, so smooth; Harry didn't even have time to react.

Harry couldn't breathe, not because Tom was heavy but for the first time he felt the hard contours of man on top of him and he wasn't scared. His whole body seemed to pulse under Tom's, quivering like a tuning fork. Harry remembered the old Tom, how'd he'd swarmed over his body, ravenous in his unruly desire to savor Harry's pain. But this – this felt like nothing he had ever experienced. It had all been about power those times. Power and humiliation and anger. But now the only thing Harry could see in Tom's eyes was an all consuming desire that was threatening to burn him to ashes. He could barely think beyond the next place where Tom might put his lips. He brushed them gently over the hills and dips of Harry's face, the touch butterfly soft.

"What are you doing?" Harry's words came out on a puff of air.

"Taking my payment for all those nights," Tom growled against his lips just before he kissed Harry. He gasped, unwittingly giving Tom the very opening he was looking for. His tongue invaded Harry's mouth like a conquering marauder, but it enticed Harry's tongue to a lover's waltz. It was hot and slippery, Tom's tongue rough. Every inch of Harry's mouth was minutely explored, his teeth caressed. Tom breathed the air form his lungs, making Harry light headed. He feared he would pass out until Tom gave back his own breath.

Tom's hands roamed down his sides, stopping at his waist. The tips of his fingers teased the small expanse of stomach that was exposed from Harry's shirt. Harry's hand jerked to Tom's when he felt the touch. He held the wrist immobile but he didn't fool himself into thinking that Tom stayed still because of him. It was done because of Tom's own will.

"Kiss me back." Tom's lips briefly left his to utter that command before he fit them back. Tentatively, Harry pushed into his mouth and found his tongue. Tom let him explore, letting him decide what he liked. He sipped form Tom's mouth in little sucking kisses, Harry's moans captured in his mouth. With his free hand, Harry cupped his jaw, rubbing his thumb over the stubble there. Tom's jaw moved under his fingers as he slanted his head to get a better angle. Harry became lost in the kiss, feeling all control being taken from him. But he was more than willing to give it away. He didn't want to think about his traumatic past or his uncertain future.

Completely engrossed in the older man, it was like a splash of cold water on his face when Tom jerked away and pulled Harry to a sitting position all in the same move. He gasped in a great lungful of air. Tom scooted back to a respectable distance.

"Say yes," he demanded quietly, but with all the authority of a shouted command.

Harry closed his eyes, utterly defeated. "Yes.." A soft whisper, barely discernible but it was all the permission Tom needed.

A flash of white, predatory teeth then Tom was on him again. Demanding lips descending to Harry's dry, chapped ones.

"Kiss me," Tom ordered. Harry pursed his lips. It was soft and gentle, everything Tom wasn't. He inhaled and sucked the breath from Harry's very lungs, then breathed back warm air inside him, melting his frozen insides. Tom pulled back slowly with a wet pop.

It had seemed like forever since he'd been able to make any decisions in his life. Dumbledore had decided he would sacrifice himself for the greater good. Tom had decided he was to blame for all his failures. The Weasleys and everyone expected him to save them. He'd never had the opportunity to accept or deny those responsibilities. Even if this was a huge mistake, it would be his mistake. He was making the conscious decision to fall into hell.

Harry guided Tom's head back down to his, for the first time initiating a kiss. Tom seemed to understand his need for control now, and let him do as he pleased. He sucked at Tom's tongue, sliding his against the older man's in a wet, slick kiss. So absorbed in the kiss, he almost didn't notice when Tom changed the angle and crawled over him, pushing him down again to lie back over the pristine sheets like a virgin sacrifice.

Perhaps Tom had messed him up, or maybe it was the war, or he'd just been born twisted and dark and unloved but right here, right now-Harry was so ready to take the pleasure Tom offered, after years spent taking the dark wizards pain.


	19. Chapter 19

Just a short little one shot about Voldemorts nose. This idea was given to me by YKmust so I thought I'd have some fun with it. The continuation of the main story will be up in a few days as I decided to change something and will be sending it to my beta. So hopefully this little tie bit tides you over until then.

(Also, really sorry about the hiatus without explaining myself. I thought I did on here since I wrote out the explanation on AO3 but the note got lost when I was transferring the file here. If you guys are ever wondering about anything, I tend to do more update in AO3 and respond to comments there since it's easier. Anyway things are back to thier normal scheduled updates. Enjoy)

Even though Salazar was Harry's kid, he looked nothing like his bearer. From the tufts of black hair to the piercing blue eyes he was all his father. Draco absentmindedly brushed his knuckle over the plush cheek over and over again. But the babe still reminded him of Harry in the way he looked at the world. Though his eyes maybe blue, they had the innocence and wonder of the boy who lived. He was maddeningly curious, getting into the meeting room when his father was holding important meetings, getting up to high turrets and wailing when he couldn't get down, or setting a horde of centaurs loose over the grounds when they were having a ministry sponsored event. Draco knew Salazar didn't mean to do it intentionally, it was just his magic acting up with no outlet. Being the child of two very powerful people, it was only to be expected that he would be extraordinary.

But even his early outbursts didn't please Voldemort. Draco would have thought the man would be inordinately pleased to have a powerful, malleable wizard at his power hungry hands. But the dark lord barely paid any attention to the baby. He was too busy fighting with he order.

Everyone that knew of Salazar's existence had been locked into secrecy. The boy was a virtual prisoner in his own home but he never complained.

So when he'd been picked for babysitting duty, Draco hadn't minded. It allowed him to get away from his social climbing father and their sadistic lord. He felt a little bit like Salazar, trapped in a prison of someone else's choosing. Lucious had clamped the lock shut on his cell, same as Voldemort who'd built a doorless cage around Salazar.

Salazar snuffled and sneezed. He opened his sleepy eyes and looked at Draco with just a hint of a frown. Draco chuckled.

"Sorry, Salazar. But it's time to feed you either way." He picked the tranquil a baby up in one hand and accio'd a bottle of milk. It was laced with Nagini's milk to built up Salazar's tolerance to many poisons, which Draco had to admit was smart. It had been approved by Severus himself so Draco had no qualms giving the concoction to a mere babe. Perhaps if his own father had given him such a sustenance, he might have been able to escape Voldemort.

He pressed the bottles nipple to the Salazar's pink lips until he eventually opened his mouth and began to suckle.

"Yah barely feeding the wee pup?"

Draco stiffened at the low rumble. Fenrir. While they weren't exactly on the friendliest terms, neither were they antagonistic. They'd been on a few raids together and had fought side by side in numerous battles. Fenrir was a fierce fighter but the only reason Draco remained cold towards the brash werewolf was because he was undoubtably Voldemort's left hand, whereas Lucius was his right. Though, his father did praise him for not mixing with what he considered to be a creature beneath him. Draco refrained from pointing out that their dark lord trusted Fenrir just as much as he did Lucius, so they two were both on equal footing.

"I didn't want to disturb his nap," Draco explained.

Fenrir leaned over Draco's shoulder and poked a clawed finger into Salazar's cheek, scratching lightly. Salazar burst out giggling from the tickling sensation, milk spraying from his mouth and hitting Draco.

The young death eater glared at the werewolf, who merely shrugged. "Thanks." Draco muttered sarcastically as he put the bottle down and cast a cleansing charm on himself.

"Give 'm here." Fenrir took the child and bounced the still giggling child in his brawny arms. He licked up the spilled milk from Salazar's face, who remained passive under the ministrations. He giggled when the long tongue rasped over his delicates cheeks.

Draco thought it was absolutely disgusting but it was normal, animal behavior for a were he'd learned. "He's not a lollipop, Greyback."

The grown were growled and actually stuck his tongue out at Draco. "Don't listen to him Salazar. I could still just eat ya up, yer too tasty!" Salazar scrunched up his nose and frowned at the both of them. Draco burst out laughing; the kid looked exactly like Voldemort when he was angry with his deaths eathers.

"No, no, Salazar, don't go doing that. If ya scrunch you're nose like that, it's gonna fall off like your fathers did. You don't wanna be a noseless little pup, do ya?" Fenrir teased, grabbing his little button nose between two finger and wriggled it. Salazar blew a large spit bubble to show his displeasure.

Draco snorted in amusement. "Don't let the dark lord hear you say that."

Fenrir ignored him and cooed at the baby. "Whose got yer nose, whose got yer nose? Not Malfoy Jr., he's got it too stuck up your papas arse."

"Geyback!" Draco cried indignantly, but of course he went ignored.

Fenrir pulled away his hand and waved his fist in front of Salazar. Curious, the baby reached for the clawed hands. "Ya want your nose? Ya sure I got it though? What about your papa, don't ya think he's got your nose? Ha, your papa needs a nose so that's why he stole yours. Lets go to your papa and demand it back!"

"Ahem…"

Draco flinched as he turned to see the very man Fenrir was mocking standing in the doorway. Salazar squealed when he saw his father demanded with repeated slaps against Fenrir's face to be let go to his father's arm. Fenrir, the brave, foolish wolf smiled wolfishly; not at all in fear of his life as he walked forward and dumped the baby in Toms arms. More like threw the baby and Tom was forced to catch it or let Salazar drop to the ground.

"Na, nah, nah!" Salazar babbled, slapping one of his pudgy hands against the noseless man's face. Voldemort turned a murderous glare at his two minions, absolutely livid.

Draco dared to peer a glance at Fenrir. It was after all the werewolf that had started this and he would not be crucio'd for the man's mistake. But knowing the dark lord as well as he did, eh never the less braced himself to get crucio'd too.

"I send you to get my son and instead I find you playing childish games?" Voldemort growled.

"Chin up, Voldy. Ya can always magik yer self a nose, might even make you as handsome as me one day. Then that Potter boy won't have to think of England while he's lying under you again. See even lil old Salazar agrees!" Fenrir guffawed, pointing to Salazar who'd perked up when he'd heard the name Potter. The were was oblivious to the now two glares aimed his way.

At the mention of Harry, Voldemort's face went completely blank. It was an unspoken understanding to never mention the wizards name around the dark lord. This was the first time since he'd been taken back by the order. All the death eaters knew the rabid efforts against the Order were to get Harry Potter back, the dark lord practically foaming at the mouth during battles and raids just to be able to get one step closer to the now hidden boy.

Draco hated being reminded to Harry. Any reminder of the green eyed wizard just reminded him of what a fool and coward he'd been. He hadn't been able to save Harry from Voldemort and he'd never forgive himself for that. He'd had a chance to escape too, to be with Harry even if it was fighting for the order but he'd been too uncertain of himself, his powers, everything to take that leap and for once do what the bloody hell he wanted.

He'd gone behind his fathers back and Voldemort's back to sneak information to the order for Harry so that the wizard could escape. He'd be damned if all his hard work and sacrifice were all for naught and Harry ended back here again. He knew once the wizard knew about Salazar's existence he'd willingly hand himself over to Voldemort like the self sacrificing martyr he was. But Draco was selfish and he wanted to see Harry live. So he'd do everything that was in his power to make sure Voldemort didn't win this war against the Order.

"Eh, Voldie?" Fenrir asked confused, scratching his great mane of hair. "Was kinda expecting a crucio for that…" he mumbled, looking to Draco as if he held all the answers. Draco just squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. A second later the were was left screaming and growling on the ground as Voldemort viciously held the curse for an alarming five minutes. Salazar to his credit wasn't disturbed by the scene. He looked on with piqued interest. Draco thought nothing of it, though he was disturbed to a degree. Children should not be witnessing such things and he could only imagine what Harry would have to say about his one and only son witnessing one of the three unforgivable curses being used. He just hoped the child had no idea what was going on.

By the time Voldemort decided to end the curse, the were was left an incoherent mess.

"Clean up the mess," Tom commanded imperiously before appartating out of the room in a swirl of thick black smoke, taking Salazar with him. Draco grimaced when he saw all the drool and other questionable fluids lying in a puddle under Fenrir. He flicked out his wand to clean up most of it.

Surprisingly the were the quite resilient. He blinked open his groggily eyes as Draco's cool magic washed over him. "Worth it…" he whispered through his torn vocal cords. Screaming continuously for five minutes would do that to a person.

Draco just rolled his eyes and shook his head.

…..

A few years later

Tom looked at his reflection in the pensive. He'd been going over memories of how the Order fought to better familiarize himself with with their tactics. One Order member in particular stood out. He was an unremarkable red head but Tom knew. He knew it was his Harry.

The way the boy moved, the power with which he took down hoards of his followers...it was amazing. The boy was beautiful as he cut through his death eaters, bodies falling at his feet as he continued to fight with the zeal and fervor of a berserker.

He was beautiful in his furry and Tom would have him again. Unconsciously his hand went up to his face, eventually finding their way to the flat skin where his nose should have been. He did not care much for physical beauty, though he'd been blessed with a handsome visage as a young man before his first death.

He thought back to what Fenrir had said about his nose and Harry. Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to fashion himself his old face again. Harry had been difficult to tame during the time he'd had the boy under him. Perhaps a change of face would smooth things over once Tom got Harry back again. Wizards were so shallow. He'd committed greater atrocities in his youth and because of his handsome face he'd been able to get away with it. Witches and wizards had flocked to him, for his beauty and power and had been lulled into a false sense of security because of his handsomeness. Harry would be the same way.

The potion with which his new body had been created had given him the snake like face but he could change it with a few spells and potions. Up to now he hadn't wanted to. He hadn't wanted to be reminded of the man he'd been before. A man who'd failed and been defeated by a baby.

But his older face had served him to mention Salazar kept touching his face and now that he could speak kept asking if Fenrir had taken his nose, since the mutt insisted on playing that aggravating game with Salazar still. The boy, met with his father's furious glare, would just shrug and promise to get it back from Fenrir they next time they played. Perhaps fashioning himself a nose would stop the nonsense.

So with a renewed determination-that had absolutely nothing to do with Harry and wether he'd like it- Tom went to wake up his potions master to see what could be done.

...

A few years later, after all of Voldemorts horcruxes had been gathered and hidden in a new undisclosed location close to Voldemort his death eaters were surprised when after the final battle of Hogwarts Voldemort emerged victorious from the rubles of the once great school. It wasn't his victory or his murder of Dumbledore that surprised them, it was the handsome new face that looked on at them with the same arrogant sense of power that Voldemort had. A few of his older supporters recognized the now young man, having been with Tom since his school years. But the majority were at first confused and wondered if a third person had defeated both Dumbledore and Voldemort. They had their wands up against this new threat until Voldemorts familiar voice rang out across the masses and the death eaters fell to their knees.

He started a speech about his prowess and Draco couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was the same spiel after every great victory. The dark lord explained his new face, saying he wanted to rule Britain, an opportunity he'd had taken away from him fifty or sixty odd years ago and this new face would unite everyone under him. The new face signified a new phase of his ruling that would be separate front eh war lord he'd been. The snake faced man had been a warrior, and this new fresh faced man would be a king.

Draco didn't believe a word of his bullshit.

He looked around at their surprised faces. His eyes met with Fenrir's gleaming black orbs, the were grinning wildly. They both, as the same instant remembered those few years back to that specific moment. Fenrir started chuckling. Thankfully he and Draco were in the back, and as of yet unnoticed by this new faced Voldemort.

"Looks like he took my words to heart," Fenrir stage whispered with a wink.

"What makes you think it was because of you? Maybe it would be a better political move to have a normal face for a ruler," Draco couldn't help the bitterness dripping form his words. Voldemort had won, despite Draco's greatest efforts at sabotage. His last hope was that Harry would come after the wizard and kill him as had been foretold.

Fenrir winked conspiratorially. "He didn't. Bet ya ten shots o firewhiskey he spruced up for when the Potter boy comes for him. Gotta say Voldie sure is a looker."

Draco growled and turned away from the were. No matter how pretty, Voldemort's face couldn't hide the rottenness within. Nose or no nose, the wizard was still a snake.


	20. Chapter 20

His back arched in a bow, strung by Tom's masterful touch. A wicked longing to be laid out for the man's pleasure licked up Harry's spine. He panted, struggling to hold onto any coherent thought. Tom mouthed at his pebbled nipple over the thin fabric of his shirt, flicking the distended nub that seemed to have a direct connection to the throbbing hardness pressed between their bodies. Tom lifted up his pelvis away with a low, wicked laugh muffled against Harry's chest, much to the green eyed wizard's displeasure. Harry scissored his thighs together in a desperate attempt to feel any kind of friction. Tom slid his big hands down Harry's sides, taking all his clothes off by magic and with it his inhibitions.

Harry gasped as cool air met the heated flesh of his newly exposed body. Tom maneuvered his legs between Harry's trembling thighs until his legs were spread wide apart, open to Tom's perusal. Little whimpers of distress escaped Harry's lips, and his hands flew to Tom's chest trying to push him away. For some reason, having been dressed had somehow convinced him he was in control. Now, without even the barest covering he felt too vulnerable. Tom was dressed from head to toe while he, in a few touches, was left absolutely bare.

Tom clamped his teeth around his nipple, making soothing sounds until the younger wizard marginally settled down. He laid his body more firmly over Harry, protecting the beautiful boy from the chill and providing a cover that lulled him into a temporary sense of safety.

"Do you want to know what I like about you?" Tom moved down the slight divide between his pecs to mouth over the dips and curves do his stomach.

Harry shook his head, then nodded. He didn't know if he was saying whether he didn't know or if that he wanted to know what he liked. But Tom seemed to understand the conflicting answer.

"I like feeling your power, restrained and bursting to be free," he said as he pulled away and rose up to his knees, "your magic, it calls to me. It tempts me, makes me…." Tom gripped his thighs and pulled Harry towards him until the apex of the younger man's thighs fit snugly to the growing bulge in his pants. He shrugged off his robes then slowly unbuttoned his white shirt with one hand, the other rubbing a spot at the crease where Harry's thighs met his pelvis.

"Makes you what?" Harry's voice was hushed. Tom looked like a pagan god as he striped himself, revealing the smooth muscles beneath. His chest was hairless and unmarked. As the shirt parted, Harry spied a dark treasure trail starting at his navel, disappearing into the waistband of his pants. Harry blushed when he saw his legs splayed obscenely over Tom's thighs. He tried to hide his shame behind his hands but Tom, as wicked as he was would not let him. The older man pried Harry's arms away from his face and held them down on the bed by his waist.

"Want to crush it," he continued, "crush you" He lowered his head and licked around Harry's navel. "Consume you." He moved down to dangerous territory, nosing at the wiry hairs at the base of Harry's cock. His teeth opened against the skin and sharp canine teeth scraped over it. Harry's leg jerked involuntary but Tom's hands moved quickly to hold down each of his ankles to the cool silken sheets.

"Nggh," Harry groaned, grounding his head against the floor. With his freed hand, he stifled another moan agasint his knuckles.

Tom slipped his mouth over the length of his engorged cock and sucked in the purple head. His tongue probed beneath the hood and circled underneath the helmet like head. The wicked man flicked his tongue against the slit and pressed into it. He then sucked hard, hollowing his cheeks and this time Harry did scream. Tom chuckled around the shaft, but still kept his mouth clamped on it. He mouthed the sensitive flesh, licking up slick creaminess dribbling copiously out of the younger wizard's cock.

Harry thought he was going to go out of his mind when Tom stiffened his tongue and poked into his slit harder this time. Harry clamped his thighs around Tom's head. All of his senses were focused entirely on that magical mouth and tongue. The sensation of chilly air ghosting over his sweat sheened skin, the tickles of Tom's hair abraiding his thighs – it was all multiplied tenfold until he thought his whole body was one big pulsating nerve ending. Just one more touch and he'd shatter into a million pieces.

"Merlin, please – please, I need, oh god!" He didn't know what he was pleading for, but Tom did. He swallowed down Harry's entire length on one excruting, gratifying suck until the tip hit the back of the dark lords throat. All Harry felt was hot and wet and slick and it was all together too much and not enough. But as Tom masterfully played with his organ, a finger slid up his trembling thighs and circled his hidden rosebud. Harry didn't have time to kick Tom away from between his thighs before that finger used the generous precum and saliva dripping down his cock and pooling between his crack as lubrication. The long digit slid inside in one glorious thrust and Harry could breath no longer.

His thighs tensed, and he half sat up as his orgasm crashed through his body. It started as a small tingle at the pinnacle of his cock but spread like a wildfire through his body until he was burning from the inside out. Even the tips of his fingers tingled. Tom swallowed down his seed, his mouth just at the tip. When Harry collapsed back boneless and mindless, Tom sucked hard on the sensitive flesh. His finger churned inside of the younger wizard and unerringly brushed in determined strokes against his prostate, sending him down another turbulent orgasm-too fast, too hard but the pain just added to the pleasure.

When he recovered, Tom's face was hovering above his. He kissed him, sharing the taste of his spend and Harry moaned at the unfamiliar taste. Wrapping his arms around Tom's neck like a vise, he sucked at the older wizards tongue and lapped up the remnants of his musky release from the hot cavern of Tom's mouth.

It was a shocking bolt to his satiated body when Tom knifed up, his eyes narrowed but unseeing. He chanted something underneath his breath, but with no wand it couldn't be anything beyond a basic spell. Nothing happened, no glow, no gust fo wind, nothing that followed the chant.

But there was a hint of something…something Harry couldn't quite put a finger on. Tom's words held a darker, deeper meaning and Harry wondered if his own naiveté and his desperation was leading him down a path that darker than the one he was on.

But Tom gave him no further time to think; probably having noticed the inkling of uncertainly creeping into his emerald eyes, he kissed Harry. Harry concentrated all his being into that kiss, banishing all the doubts and worries to the back of his mind.

Tom licked a path down his sternum and straight down to his stomach toned by years of quiditch. Swirling his tongue into Harry's navel, he pointed his tongue and dipped it into the cusp. Harry had never known that place was sensitive but it seemed there was a direct connection of nerves from his belly button to those fluttering butterflies that signaled his undoing. Harry tented his legs and dug his heels into the bed, curling his toes.

So that's what they meant by a toe-curling sensation.

Tom moved down his stomach and licked along the crease where his thighs met hips, teasingly dipping into where they met at a v at the center of his body. But he didn't progress further, just lapped at the surface of his skin just above Harry's half hard cock.

It was becoming more and more difficult to breathe, to think, to even feel anything beyond what Tom deigned to grant him. Spreading his arms out, he searched for anything to grab onto but all he was met with was cool air and forgiving shadows.

Tom's surprisingly soft lips moved down his thigh, mapping every line of unclaimed territory on his body.

"Turn over," his husky voice commanded.

Gracelessly, Harry flipped onto his stomach. A hot flush worked its way down his face to his neck when he realized he was probably getting quite an eyeful of his buttocks. Warm hands settled at his hips, thumbs resting on the slight indents right above his tempting cheeks.

An embarrassing squeak left his lips when he felt the molten heat of Tom's mouth seal over the back of his knee, the flesh there surprisingly sensitive. He bit the delicate tendons gently, and then laved away the small wound with loving strokes. Harry's leg jerked when Tom moved those clever lips up towards back of his thigh. The chill air brushed over his dampened skin, raising tiny goose bumps all over his body.

Keening loudly, Harry moaned for Tom to do something, anything. His dark chuckle against his thigh told Harry that the dark wizard heard the plea and was choosing to ignore it. Moving up to his buttocks, Tom nipped at highest curve. A teasing tongue traced nonsensical patterns into the plump flesh.

"Stop…Stop teasing me!" Harry wailed. His hard cock was pressed painfully between the bed and his stomach.

"I'm at your command, love," Tom promised as he flipped the younger wizard onto his back and mounted him. He'd lost his shirt in the past few minutes but his pants still hung onto his narrow hips.

Curling Harry's legs around his waist, he shifted onto one elbow and stared at him. Strong, defined muscles bunched and moved under his hot skin. With tentative fingers, Harry trailed his fingers down the other wizards sharp collarbone, catching the tip of a dark nipple with his nail. Darkened eyes devoured him as his hands curled and clawed down Tom's ridged abs. Tom sucked in a harsh breath, his nostrils flared.

Harry looked up into his dark eyes where only a small glint of white was visible, the rest of his face thrown in shadows as he moved his hand down to the buttons on his pants. His hands fumbled at the opening and he shoved them down Tom's hips to bunch at his knees. Still keeping eye contact, Harry closed his hand around the thick length. A flutter of fear jumped inside him. It was so big, so thick. It would be impossible to fit that thing inside. A rational part said that he'd done this a hundred times, no a thousand times with this wizard but never before been a willing partner. It just somehow felt different.

Tom closed his sure fingers over Harry's trembling ones and moved the smaller hand up and down the angry looking cock. Thick purple veins ran up the length to the slightly pink mushroom head leaking copious amounts of whitish fluid. Scooping some up on his finger, Tom brought the liquid to Harry's lips.

A slightly sweet and bitter taste burst over Harry's tongue when he automatically went to swipe it away with his tongue. Tom grinned ferally above him and he quickly brushed away Harry's fingers.

"I…"

Tom quieted him and dropped himself over the younger wizard's body.

"I'm scared," he admitted. Harry brought up his hand over Tom's rapidly beating heart. It gave him some sort of assurance that Tom too was affected by this. His own body was trembling and sweating.

Tom guided Harry's other hand to his own chest, sealing Harry's hand over his beating heart.

"Breathe," Tom whispered. He took Harry's lips in a kiss, their tongues sliding in a wet and dirty dance. It was sloppy and messy and fast. It was perfect.

Tom finally managed to lose his pants and he was left just as naked as Harry. This was it, this was happening. He was going to have sex for the fist time in six years, with the very man who'd raped him. A maniacal laugh bubbled up his throat but Tom's mouth sealed in the sound. Harry broke the kiss, gulping in a lungful of air. What was he doing. Drunk or not, this was so wrong. But it was too late. He felt Tom's blunt head nudge at his loosened, hot opening, the tip of the spongy head sliding into the winking hole. Panting, Harry waited for him to thrust. He waited for the pain. He waited for Tom to snap his hips, hold him down in a bruising grip and break him apart all over again.

But that never happened.

Tom moved his hips in small forward thrusts, getting Harry used to his thickness. Harry's ass enveloped the trusting cock, and the excess lube running down his crack and coating his tense thighs.

The pressure increased inside of him uncomfortably. A slight burning sensation radiated outward from his rim and he struggled to not cry out. He shoved his fist into his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut. With a sudden thrust, Tom shoved into Harry until half of his cock disappeared into his wet warmth. Harry groaned against his fist as Tom continued to rock inside him until the tip touched at Harry's deepest depths.

It felt like he was being ripped apart. A burning pain ripped across his body. Tom kissed his cheek, licking away the wayward tears he never knew he'd cried.

"It's okay, just relax. God, you feel so good, so perfect. I missed this," he murmured into Harry's hair. His chest vibrated soothingly against Harry's tense body. Tom continued to murmur sweet nothings until Harry felt his body relax under the other wizards. .

Urging his lips closer to Harry, Tom pressed a closed mouthed kiss against him. Tom slowly slid his cock out of Harry, rasping against the abused tissues. It still hurt, but not as much as before. He looked down at Harry, as if asking permission; Harry nodded for him to continue.

He thrust in and out of the younger wizard in a slow rhythm, letting Harry get used to his invasion. A small tingle sparked when the head of Tom's cock caught a particular bundle of nerves and Harry arched his hips into the next thrust. That new angle brought Toms cock into direct contact with his prostate and he gasped. Rubbing up against Tom with his every thrust, Harry felt every nerve in his body come alive to the waves of pleasure crashing through him.

Stars burst behind his eyelids. Harry's hands scrabbled frantically against Tom's shoulders until the older wizard grabbed them and held them above his head. He was grateful for that makeshift restraint, finding he liked something to pull against. It gave him something to hold onto, letting him know no matter how far he fell, the hard tug at his wrists would always ground him.

Harry yelled when he felt a fiery burn consume his lower half, spreading like brushfire along his nerves and burning everything in its wake. The pleasure was almost unbearable. A myriad of colors shattered the black canvas of her mind. He continued to fall into his climax, his interior muscles milking Tom's cock.

From a distance, he heard Tom's groans as he followed Harry over the edge and came inside the younger wizard, now spent in the aftermath. A hot liquid splashed into his tunnel, filling him up with Tom's release. His heavy weight dropped down to Harry's flushed body, keeping him grounded in reality.

Everything was fuzzy; the muted sounds of the night buzzed in his ear. Harry blinked open his eyes and saw Tom lying beside him. Harry's head rested on Tom's outstretched arm, his other placed reassuringly over Harry's stomach. Tom bent over Harry's shoulder, nibbling at his sweaty skin.

Harry turned his face into the crook of Tom's arm, inhaling deeply his musky scent. His heartbeat was just settling down into a normal rate, the sweat cooling uncomfortably on his skin when Tom broke the silence with a muttered spell.

He glanced down tiredly when he felt Tom's warm hand span over his stomach from ribbcage to groin. A slight green glow cascaded over his trembling stomach before the light seemingly absorbed into the skin.

"What was that?" Harry asked tiredly.

With his attention directed at Harry's stomach, Tom answered. "Protection spell, so that you cannot perform an abortion spell."

It took a minute for the words to register. When they did a second later, Harry pushed away from Tom with horrified eyes. "What are you talking about?" He crossed his arm over his stomach. His hand spread over the same space Tom's hand had warmed as if he'd be able to feel a budding pregnancy.

"However much I care for Salazar, he did not meet his obligation. Of course he cannot be blamed for ruining my plans, but this one…" Tom loomed over him and brushed aside Harry's hands. Placing both hands over him, he pressed down just the tiniest bit and looked into Harry's eyes. "This one will be my most powerful weapon. It cannot be killed. And it will house my horcrux."

Eyes wide in sudden, horrifying realization Harry could only whisper a futile denial. "No…"

What in the hell had Tom done?

….

"I have to study." Salazar protested with a frown.

Harry ignore him and continued to pull him downt he deserted hallways. "You're only six! You can study later."

"Severus will be very angry with me."

"Merlin I can't believe you call him Severus, I still call him Snape in my mind. He'll always be that batty professor at Hogwarts who gave me way too much detention. I don't think I can ever call him Severus, it just seems too personal."

"I am a Riddle, and we can call anyone whatever we want."

Harry arched a brow. "Did your father teach you that?"

Salazar shrugged. "Father taught me everything." He didn't mean that as a dig towards Harry but by the crestfallen look in the older wizards face, it had none the less been taken that way. But what alarmed Salazar was that the man burst out into tears. Salazar stood awkward, frantically looking around to pass off the sobbing man to another. But when not even a death eater or a measly houseelf came running, Salazar reached out awkwardig and patted the man's hand. Harry snuffled and looked down at the small hand tapping his own and smiled.

"Let's play in the snow," Salazar acquiesced. He grasped Harry's larger hand and this time lead the older wizard outside. He made sure to walk slow as Harry was in his last few weeks of his pregnancy. The man waddled beside him, his sudden bright smile at odds with the drying tracks of tears over his rosy cheeks. Salazar kept sneaking glances at the bulbous swell.

Harry took notice and tightened his grasp on him. "Are you excited about having a brother?"

Salazar shrugged. "Father said not to get attatched to it. He said it will be a weapon for him to use." He looked up to see a pinched expression marring the green eyed wizards face.

"Hadrian. His name will be Hadrian and your father will do absolutely nothing to your brother. I will make sure he is protected. You have nothing to worry about."

Salazar was doubtful of the words but he dropped the subject. He'd been surprised when a few moth ago Harry had told him he was preganat and that Salazar would be a big brother. He didn't particularly want to be a big brother to a little brat. His father had assured him though that he needed to be worried as the thing was going to be a mere vessel to hold a horcrux. Salazar knew he'd been created to fulfil that duty but because of the order's interference, this boy Hadrian had to be created.

"Do you love Hadrian? Even though he is not born yet?"

Harry tilted his head curiously. "Why do you ask that?"

Salazar shrugged. "I was created to house a horcrux. I was unwanted. But you seem to love this one already. I see you smiling at it and touching it and reading to it. It cannot understand you but you do it anyway. And you are a prisoner here, I can tell. You have had lots or opportunities to escape when father is away but you have not gone. Hadrian is keeping you here. So why do you love this this Hadrian when it is already a burden to you?"

Harry bit his lip and shook his head. He pulled Salazar to him and smushed him against his gigantic stomach. Salaaar tried to pull away but Harry won't let him. Leaning over the gangly boy, Harry kissed the top of his son's dark hair. "Hadrian is not and will never be a burden. And you, my beautiful child, were never a burden to me. I loved you from the first moment you kicked me and I never stopped loving you. And I know I hurt you terribly and I feel nothing I can do can ever make up for what I did but I want to show you something, okay?"

Salazar looked up and nodded. Harry smiled sadly and led them to a small bench underneath a frozen willow tree. He cast a warding bubble around them and summoned a houseelf for a pensive. Once the floating bowl was in front of them, Harry took his wand and retrieved a silvery strand of memory and cast it into the shallow depths of the pensive. Curious, Salazar leaned over to the see the dark swirls. Harry nodded at him encouragingly and Salazar dipped his head forward to see what Harry wanted him to see.

He saw what Harry had described. He hadn't lied to him. He was younger, thinner in the memories. He was unsure like a newborn colt and it showed in his movements. But whenever the memory Harry touched his swelling belly, he had an intense look of dertemeination. He sang to that belly, he read to that belly. He rejoiced with Uncle Draco when when he first felt a kick. Through the memories Salazar saw that Harry planned with the order in order to save him from becoming a mummified object for Tom's use. And when Harry was giving birth amid the raid, his only thought had been for his safety.

After that, Salazar saw all the times Harry cried over him,all the times Harry drank over him. He saw an unmarked and unnamed grave where Harry spend more time greiving than he did sleeping.

Then he saw the countless days and nights Harry spent by his side as he lay unconscious after Harry's attack.

Finally, it was Harry gentle tug that pulled Salazar out of the memories. The older man hugged him from behind and Salazar was content to let himself be held. "I am not a prisoner because I am choosing to stay. I love you Salazar and I will keep doing my best to be the the parent you and your brother Hadrian deserve-ack!"

"Harry?" Salazar turned around as Harry let go of him. He was bent over double clutching his stomach and muffling his painful cried against his knees. Instantly two death eaters and a houseelf popped around them. Salazar watched numbly as one of them-Barty, he'd later remember, took up the crumpled wizard's body in his with arms and and quickly strode back towards the manor.

"Harry!" Salazar cried out in fear, though did not know from whence it came from or for whom it was for. Harry stopped Barty and looked over his shoulder.

"Salazar, I'll be fine. Go with McNabb, Argh!" His knuckle were white as he gripped Barty's robes. Salazar threw off the hand holding him back and ran after Harry. The man had his eyes closed. He was biting into Barty's collar to muffle his cries of pain.

When hands tried to grab for him again, Salazar pushed his Magic out. It unintentionally sent the nearest two deatheaters into an unconscious faint as Salazar ran to keep up with Barty. For the moment the other death eaters let it go, seeing as they had bigger problems to deal with. Salazar knew his father would be summoned. He hadn't seen Tom in almost two months save for a few firecalls. He was busy inserting his puppets in the French and Spanish governments, the feat taking longer than anticipated. Tom had wanted to take him and Salazar had wanted to accompany his father. After all this entire empire would one day be his but Harry had thrown a huge fit, saying a war torn country was no place for a boy of Salazar's age.

Salazar had been angry at Harry for that. Who was he to decide what was proper or not proper when the man himself had only inserted himself in his life for a few months. But seeing those pensive memories had given in an invaluable insight into the man who'd born him. It sprouted a seed in the deep recesses of his heart, one sprouting small and strong. That small, undefinable kernel of something didn't like to see Harry in pain.

Barty took Harry to an already prepared room, already filled with a group of the best healers. Fenrir stood in the doorway, stoping Salazar from entering the room with a heavy hand to the neck of his neck.

"Whoa there, lil pup, trust me when I say you don't want to be seeing what's going to be happening in that room in a wee bit," Fenrir warned lowly, already pulling Salazar away from the closing doors.

"Fenrir, let me go. Harry is in pain!"

The werewolf raised a brow at the struggling child. Though the Riddle heir was powerful, he was no match for a seasoned were.

"Where was all o this concern in the last few months. Gave the poor boy a right cold shoulder ya did."

Salazar frowned, clenching his hands into a fist. He copied, or at least tried to copy the intimidating expression his father always had when dealing with the wolf. But it only made Fenrir laugh; the were ruffled Salazar's hair ms flicked his forehead.

"That expression o yours won't work on me pup. Ya just look like a grumpy ole kitten."

"Now I understand why father threatens to skin you and use your hide as a rug. I share his sentiments," Salazar griped petualantly. Fenrir was the only thing standing in his way to getting what he wanted. He was a Riddle dammit, second to none but his father and yet this wolf was able to hold him back. Not only did his hurt his budding pride, it angered him that he could not be be with Harry. No matter their differences, he didn't want anything bad to happen to Harry. And for some inexplicable reason, he felt that being in the room would prevent anything bad.

Fenrir opened his mouth to retort when Tom stormed through the hallway, ignoring both Fenrir and his son as he almost bowled them over on his way to Harry. He thrust open the doors to the birthing room just as Harry let an ear shattering scream escape. Salazar's face paled when he caught a glimpse of Harry, naked from the waist down. He would have gagged at all the blood obscuring Harry's lower regions if not for the horrifying ripples over Harry's swollen stomach. The skin was pulled taunt and some alien thing was clawing and kicking againt the stomach lining to get out. Fenrir was too engrossed into the sight to notice when Salazar slipped front the weres grasp and ran to Harry, bypassing his father who stood frozen in on the threshold of the room.

Salazar reached out to touch the stomach but clenched when a small closed fist pushed againt the stomach skin.

"What is happening to him?" Tom growled, finally spurred to action.

A faceless healer stepped forward, gulping nervously. "We have no idea, My lord. Nothing we've tried works and we cannot get close enough to him to help him. It seems the child inside Harry is trying to crawl out. And the magic coming out of them both is astounding. It is almost as if the magic is trying to escape from Harry and the child both"

Tom's right eye twitched. Salazar wondered what that was all about. He didn't understand much but he knew this was not normal.

"Sal..zar…."

The young boy turned at Harry's broken voice. He reached out a weak hand and Salazar grasped it in his. Harry smiled blindly at him, bringing Salazar closer to him and brought Salazar's hand to his dry lips. Harry didn't have to say anything further, Salazar understood. He turned to his father, a determined look on his young face.

"I will be staying with Harry, father."

Tom gave him a curt nod, though his eyes were trained on Salazar's hand clasped loosely in Harry's. A golden undercurrent of magic was moving under Harry's skin, transferring into Salazar who easily absorbed it with no side effects. Harry's stomach calmed, smoothing out and looking normal again. Harry was asleep already. Salazar too noticed the difference. He reached out a brave hand and touched Harry's stomach with his other hand, this time feeling another burst of power move through him. He grit his teeth as the magic pushed forcibly into him. It seems his touch was taking th pain away.

Tom tried to move closer, perhaps to pull him away. Salazar shook his head and yelled. "No!"

This time the force field he threw out was tenfold, leveling all the occupants in the room. Glass shattered and sound was muted. Salazar, ever unflapper was becoming scared. Because he knew this wasn't him. He could feel something else inside him, using his body but wielding an unfamiliar magic. He tried to pull away but it seemed his hand was being burned to Harry's stomach. He tried to yell out at the pain but it was drowned out my the unfamiliar magic. So Salazar grasped Harry's hand tighter in his other hand, taking strength from the unconscious man even as he felt his own consciousness fading away.

…..

Clambering onto the bed, careful to avoid jostling Harry, Salazar tried to hold back his curiosity about the new baby that had managed to knock out his father and his cronies. He was not jealous though that a mere baby seemed to have done it. He was not.

"Salazar, meet you baby brother Hadrian. Hadrian, meet your older brother Salazar," Harry introduced. He shifted the blankets until Salazar could see the baby clearly.

"He's beautiful, just like you." Harry leaned down and kissed Hadrian's forehead. It cooed at Harry.

Salazar begged to disagree. It was quite ugly, with a wet and wrinkled face pudgy with baby fat. It had murky blue gray eyes that were oddly alert for an hours old baby. He reached out to poke it but even before his finger could make contact with the thing, a shock went through his finger.

Salazar cried out and brought his injured finger to his mouth.

"Oh, Salazar are you okay? Hadrian didn't really mean it." Harry gave him a one armed hug. Salazar looked over Harry's hair and saw the thing scowling at him before scrunching up that ugly face and letting out an ear piercing wail. Harry was forced to turn his attention back to Hadrian as he cradled the babe over his shoulder and bounced it in his arms. And though it continued it's wails, it had an undeniable pleased look on its smug face. Salazar frowned at it but it just continued to snuggle into Harry.

And he knew in that moment that this Hadrian was going to be an unbearable annoyance.

...

...

...

...

...

To address a few comments since I cannot respond directly, there might be a chapter fo when Harry is pregnant with the twins. I might do it as a oneshot style or I'll include in the main plot as part of a flashback, idk yet. And I will not be going into detail about the first time Harry was captured and raped by Voldemort. I feel like if I do that I'll get really graphic and have you guys hate tom more. Just know it wasn't the best time in Harry's life but then tom was crazy because hsi soul was so divided so he wasn't a 100% himself. That in no way excuses what he did and he will atone for it. Just know I read and appreciate every comment so to those who read and comment, you guys are awesome and make it worth writing.


	21. Chapter 21

Sorry, no update but I wanted to let you guys know of a poll I'm holding to figure out who I want to end up with Lily. I don't feel strongly enough about one single pairing and I've gotten mixed response so I'm letting you guys choose.

Please go this link u/7362682/strawberrywhippedcreamfreak or my profile page and it will have the poll. Thank you!

And to respind to a few comments and concerns.

Flashback chapters will end with one more chapter that is very important to plot. If you do not like the flashback chaps, don't worry we will be getting to the main plot in one more week :)

the Russian incident will be covered, do not fear. lol I keep bringing it up with no context so I'm sorry for that but that chapter is coming.

Harry has always worn the slave collar, ever since he was captured. I might nto mention it much but it is always there. Tom just needs to be in close proximity for it to work and though I do not say it, the order glamoured it and warned teh collar when they took Harry so tom does not find him.

Hope that explains stuff.


End file.
